


A Path Once Travelled

by Mr_K_chan



Series: The Path of the Arcane is a long Road [1]
Category: Persona 3, Persona 4
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, M/M, Multi, Post-Game(s), Threesome - M/M/M, Will add more tags as I go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-03
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-03-10 08:50:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3284291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr_K_chan/pseuds/Mr_K_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The strange dreams & the responsibility of following the breadcrumb trail of a mystery once already solved two years before is not a problem for Narukami Yu. Meeting the person who had left behind that trail & his companion, is a different story altogether.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd. This is a fic based off an ill-remembered RP from last year.

There are too many faces.

This is the first thing that comes to Yu's mind, & he is startled by it. There seemed to be more shadows than people in his periphery, sitting in this table in Junes that now felt far too big for one person.

There are too many faces, but none that are recognizable or otherwise visible, he amends to himself.

He sits straighter, apprehensive about his surroundings. It may have only been short time that he stayed in Inaba, but he had come to think of the tiny town as a home. The feeling evoked in him by this crowded food court is anything but homely.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Yu startles, head turning to the voice. Had he been waiting for someone? If he had, he cannot recall. 

There was a boy in striped pajamas, the only face he could make out clearly in this sea of strangers. He was holding onto a folder in his hand, a smile on his face. "So you are the one who answered. Thank you very much for coming."

The older boy only blinks at him, silenced by the strange turn of events. He does not remember being called, nor answering a call.

"I'm afraid I cannot stay long. I only came here for this," The boy says, laying the folder on the table along with a pen. Yu hesitantly reaches out for it.

"It's just a contract," The child says pleasantly, & Yu squints at the print & the filled line at the bottom.

"…Someone's already filled out this form."

"True, but it's yours to fill now. Please, don't worry. It only states that you'll take responsibility for your actions."

Confusion mingles with doubt in his gut as he stares down at the form. The signature on it kept changing, never legible enough to recognize any of the characters. He glances doubtfully at the boy who only smiles back at him.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he felt a sense of déjà vu as he picked up the pen & signed at the bottom of the line. He ignores this feeling as the other reaches over to pick it up. "Thank you," He smiled. "I wish you luck."

Yu was awakened by the jolt of the train, the entire world coming into focus like a rapid surge as he tried to hold on to the last vestiges of his dream. He failed to remember what it was he saw, the remaining fragments of a smile & blue eyes slipping through his fingers. The sharp, distinct feeling of déjà vu strikes him again, & he finds himself wondering just where exactly did he see that pair of blue eyes.

' _Passengers headed for Inaba City at Yasoinaba Station, please go to your side of the platform.'_

Well, he supposes it has happened once before. He was familiar with contracts & mysteries. He should be able to handle this, no problem.

As Yu steps off the platform, he wonders if it was fate that had something to do with chance meetings or if he had extremely terrible luck. He hopes it is the latter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu meets up with old friends, & receives a gift & a warning about things to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Looking at these chapters, they're pretty short, huh? I can't really work on anything longer since I'm writing this on my phone & I'm studying at the same time, so updating is gonna be really irregular at this point on. Still, kudos & comments are highly appreciated.

Rise was the first to find out about his arrival, who tells Yosuke, who tells Chie, who tells Yukiko, who tells Kanji, who tells Naoto, who tells Teddie, who then promptly forgets about the entire thing & tells Rise, which completes the cycle of their miniature rumor mill. Yu finds it hilarious.

"Guys, I've barely settled back in. Not that I'm not happy to see you all, but is a house call really necessary?" He laughs, watching his friends crowd around him in the Dojimas' living room. "I haven't even changed out of my pajamas yet."

"You didn't bother telling us, Senpai!" Rise sobs. "We just wanted to see you!"

"Yeah, Yu. Would it actually kill you to call ahead?" Yosuke complains, as Naoto nods. "We would've loved to pick you up at the station."

"And what, ruin the surprise? You do know what a surprise is, right?" He asks in amusement. "I would've met you guys at the food court or the shrine, you know."

"Well, sorry if we couldn't wait," Chie comments. "You know we just miss you a lot."

"I know, I know. You guys are the best & worst kinds of friends."

Nanako takes this time to call them all to have something to eat, & to tell her Big Brother to change into something more proper than his sleepwear. Yu decides to beat a hasty retreat before anyone can comment.

\----

"Hello again." Yu sits up in bed at the voice, startled awake only to find a familiar boy in pinstriped pajamas with blue, blue eyes. "You…"

"You remembered me. I'm so glad," He says happily. "It's been so long since I last talked to anyone, it's a relief to talk to you.

Anyway, I'm afraid I can't stay long. The night is short," He says, producing an old, worn key the color of velvet from his pocket. "Here. I'm handing this to you. It's yours now."

Yu takes the offered item from an outstretched palm. The key was warm to the touch. When he looks up, the boy had moved away from the foot of his bed to stand by the TV. "Wait. What's your name?"

"My name?" The boy repeats, shaking his head. "It doesn't really matter who I am. No, it's the least of your worries. Be vigilant. Something big is about to start soon. Something big. Think of it as a warning. Until we meet again," He says, fading off into the darkness.

Yu stares at the spot where he last stood, turning his parting words over in his mind. He said something big was about to happen. Yu hopes that whatever it is, it won't end in heartache.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu meets a man decked in blue, and time comes to a standstill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still unbetad trash. Please feel free to point out any mistakes. Kudos and comments are mucho love!

Blue is the first thing he sees.

He remembers the color, is familiar with it on an intimate level. Blue is a comfort to him, the harbinger of memories and sensations. The blue of Teddie's fur, the blue of Naoto's favorite jacket, the blue skies over Inaba that returned after a long, long year.

The blue door that leads to another world, the blue upholstery of an endlessly moving limousine. The blue of Margaret's dress. The endless blue that is the sea of his soul.

Now, he sees blue again; it is the blue walls and the woven blue carpets and its sole other resident. The only thing that stands out about him is his skin, the only flash of colour on an otherwise monochromatic wash of blue.

Those pale lips quirk up in an amused smile, and Yu realizes that he had been staring.

"Welcome. I'd say that I'd been expecting you, but that'd be a lie," He says pleasantly, a soft timbre to his voice. "You are a pleasant surprise, however. Coffee?"

Yu blinks, before realizing that there was indeed a cup of coffee now set on the table between them. White bone china, with gold leaf around the edge set on a matching saucer. The dark liquid inside smelled absolutely divine. He decides against drinking it.

"What's your name?"

He startles badly, a minute shiver jolting his shoulders stiff. "…Narukami Yu," He finds himself saying against his will. Yu mentally scolds himself. He isn't normally this jumpy.

The other man only smiles, his gaze settled on a similar cup of coffee in front of him. "Has anyone ever told you that names have power, Narukami-san? Why would you tell me that so easily?"

He finds himself floored into shocked silence. The nerve of this man–!

"…You are a rude guy, you know that?" He finally says, leveling him with a glare. "First you ask me my name, and now you tell me some shit about why I shouldn't have told you?"

The stranger laughs, shoulders shaking slightly. "My apologies. I don't mean to offend you."

"Well, consider me offended," He says, mildly surprised at himself. He wasn't one to lose his cool. Now here was someone who barely knows him, and yet is pushing all his buttons.

Yu willfully makes himself count backwards from a hundred in multiples of seven, trying to calm himself down. It only marginally helps until he asks the other a question that sends his blood pressure spiking.

"And you? What's your name?"

"Me? I don't have one."

Yu took a deep breath and counted to ten. When that didn't help, he thought of all the lame jokes a Jack Frost could make.

_How many Jack Frosts does it take to change a light bulb?_

"None. They'll melt before they even touch it."

He glared at the boy in blue. "Ao-san. Please stop poking in my head. "

He only received a smile in reply. "I'm sorry. But you have to let me have a bit of fun."

"Not even Igor is as bad as you, even with all his cryptic bullshit."

'Ao-san' blinks at him at the name, a look of mild surprise etched on his face. "…You know him?"

"Yes. Met him a while ago. A man with a long nose and a creepy grin."

His companion looked mildly troubled, staring at him with those blue eyes. He resolves not to blink, staring back until he feels his eyes starting to sting.

Something like recognition lights in his eyes, and he sits back with a short nod. "…You're a Wild Card."

Yu nods, feeling as if he was undergoing a test. "So what if I am?"

He smiles, nodding as he returns his gaze into his cup. "I see…so that's why you've come."

"…Can I ask you something, Ao-san?"

He nods, a wary glint in his blue eyes. "Speak, but I can't guarantee an answer."

Yu presses his lips together, contemplating his question. "…Why am I here?"

Ao-san stares into his coffee for a few tense seconds. "I can't really answer that, Narukami-san. Though I wish I could. Where do you think you are?"

Yu sits back, contemplating the blue walls and the blue carpet and the blue inhabitant. "…This is the Velvet Room, isn't it?"

"Yes," He replies softly. "Yes and no, Narukami-san."

"No?"

"If it was, they would be here," He supplies. 

There was no question on who 'they' could be.

Yu nods, sighing. "…I simply want to make more sense of all this. And nothing is clicking at the moment."

Ao-san nods, folding his hands at his lap. "I understand."

"…What I do know is this; it's either you need my help for something, or I need yours."

He smiled. "Can't it be both?"

Yu frowns at his companion, crossing his arms. "Ao-san…"

"They did say that in any bond, there must be equal exchange," The other says pleasantly, taking a drink from his half-full cup of coffee. "So it would seem that you and I will be helping each other from now on."

"And if I refuse? What if I don't want to make the sacrifices this time?"

Ao-san smiles his secretive smile, putting his cup down. "Ah, but Narukami-san, the fact that you're here means you have already paid."

\---

"Kanpai!"

The cheer came over the clink of glasses of nonalcoholic champagne and bottles of ramune. Yu laughs with the others, drunk off the festive air and the food. Nanako is with them, and Yu is happy with how she has grown.

The past two years had been kind to his friends. Sitting in the midst of them in this room in Yukiko's family inn, matured and happy and loved, he feels this keenly.

Rise sits beside him, pouring him another cup of the sweet champagne . "Loosen up, senpai! You're always so serious."

"That's Yu for you," Yosuke laughs. "You know how he is."

Yu laughs, tossing a wadded up napkin at his face. "I'm plenty relaxed, Yosuke. I just want to keep my wits about me, that's all. Can't have all of us getting drunk off the atmosphere, considering that worked so well last time."

Everyone laughed, even Rise and Yukiko, who were sporting matching blushes.

"Yu-san, you are terrible!"

"That was one time, and you know it"

The token protests died down after a dramatic retelling of the incident for Nanako's benefit, and the festivities returned full swing. Soon, as the food dwindled and the drink emptied, it was almost time to go home.

Yu checks his phone for the time. It was 11:59.

\---

Ao-san pours himself a cup of coffee, looking up at the small sound of something cracking in the silence of the Velvet Room. 

Yu's untouched cup sat at the other end of the table, sporting a hairline split down its pristine side.

Blue eyes narrow as coffee pours out from the crack in tiny rivulets, pooling into the saucer and spilling out onto the white tablecloth. He sighs, returning his gaze to his refilled cup. 

This was a mess he absolutely refuses to clean up, but it seems like he will have to get involved again this time.

\---

12:00. The screen dies.

Yu pockets the phone, Kanji making a sound of confusion as the light went out.

"A power outage?"

"Can't be. The generators should've kicked in immediately."

Rise's scream pierces the air, as she scrambles backwards on her hands.

Yu turns around and immediately feels his entire world slow down.

Where Nanako sat was a large black coffin.

Naoto gasps in surprise, raising a shaking hand. "L-look!"

The walls and floor glowed an unearthly green, blood pouring down from the sides in a grisly display.

The group's frightened clamour fills the room, and Yu finds himself trying to catch his breath.

"What's going on!?"

He remembers the boy's warning and feels his blood freeze in his veins. He said something big was happening, and that he should be vigilant.

Yu grits his teeth.

Whatever this is, he was ill-prepared. How could he fight when he didn't know what he was supposed to be fighting against!?

Just what was going on!?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu fights for the right to live, and inherits an aspect of a soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 150 hits? I'm touched *gross sobbing*
> 
> Unbetad like wao. Feel free to point out any mistakes. Kudos and comments are appreciated!

The next hour was the most stressful hour of his life.

Yu was the first one who recovered, taking control over his beating heart and his shaking limbs. He tentatively got up, raising his hand to the coffin. The object was cold and smooth to the touch.

Was Nanako in there?

"My phone's dead, guys," Chie mutters, frantically checking her mobile.

"The line here in the room is dead, too," Yukiko says, sighing. "What is happening?"

"No power, no communication…even my watch is dead," Rise sighs.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that," Yu says, walking away from the imposing object in the middle of the room. "I say we go look around. Who's coming with?"

Kanji and Naoto raised their hands.

"All right. The rest stay put." He nods. "Let's get going."

\---

"It's so quiet," Naoto whispers, warily looking around.

The inn reminded him of the last frantic days of the year they spent fighting for their lives and uncovering the truth.

Though there is no fog, the atmosphere is so heavy that one could barely breathe.

"These hugeass coffins are freaking me out. Is this like what happened with Nanako?" Kanji murmurs, frowning.

"It looks like it," Yu says, stopping as Naoto stood beside him. "You look out of breath. You okay?"

"Yes," Naoto nods. "It's just…this is so much different from the last time. The air in this place is just so…oppressive."

Yu nodded with a determined frown. "…We should get back to the others."

Scarcely had the words left his mouth when the darkness took form, rising up to grab ahold of them.

Kanji yells out in surprise, fighting back against the disembodied hands that threatened to pull them under. Yu struggled to free himself, managing to lift a hand as he pulled deep into the depths of his soul for a familiar card.

With much relief, he calls upon Izanagi-no-Okami in a blaze of light…

…only to watch his hopes be dashed to the ground as a giant mask rises up on ghostly arms to devour the god whole. Izanagi-no-Okami's card crumbles to ash in his grasp.

His heart stopped when that mask's blank eyes turns to him and that mouth opened to reveal an impossible jaw filled with a void of gleaming white teeth.

_I want to live,_ his inner self cries.

_I want to live…I want to survive._

Those teeth come closer.

__For everyone…_ _

He squeezes his eyes shut.

__Everyone…_ _

His terrified heartbeat counted down the final moments to his end.

_I want to live!_

Two hands reach out to him, both similar and different.

"You shouldn't have to fight."

"We'll lend you our power."

Yu reaches out and takes both hands with his.

_\---_

Naoto calls out in terrified desperation as she helplessly watched Yu be lifted up into that giant maw.

And then—a flash of light.

An instrument with strings—a lyre, or a harp—shoves in between those crushing jaws, as a hand reaches over and tears Yu away from that shadowed hand's grasp.

She and Kanji watch as a silver figure emerged, red eyes blazing as it tore the creature into pieces.

Yu suddenly gives an animalistic wail, and the Persona threw its head back into a loud cry. The speaker in its stomach vibrated with the force of a piercing note, and Kanji and Naoto had to cover their ears.

The figure's form crackled like static in a television, flickering in and out of focus.

A red and gold body. Feminine curves. Long bronze hair. A heart-shaped lyre.

A platinum and silver body. Masculine angles. Short silver hair.

The same glowing eyes. The same crimson scarf.

The Persona finally cracks, disappearing in a shower of stained glass.

In the station, the clock ticks down from midnight.

\---

"You summoned Him. I'm glad."

Yu turns around, and spots the boy with the dark hair and those familiar blue eyes.

"…You."

"You're not dead yet, don't worry," The child laughs, fussing with the sleeves of his striped pyjamas. "Just asleep."

"That…what was that?"

"That? I think 'that' is too big a term. Too general. I don't know what you're talking about."

Yu grits his teeth. "Stop playing around! I don't want to be left behind in the dark!"

The boy narrows his eyes at him, his smile growing wider.

"…He is the master musician who has tamed the heart of Hades in exchange for his wife. He was his first before he was yours."

"What are you—"

The boy lifts a finger to his lips. "Shh…Listen."

In the distance, the bells toll midnight.

\---

The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is Nanako's face.

"Big bro, you okay?"

He takes a shaky gasp, suddenly sitting up. Yosuke carefully pushes him back down.

"Whoa! Take it easy, Yu. You passed out."

Yu closes his eyes as he tries to calm himself. Blood, teeth, and shadows are what he sees behind his eyelids. His breath quickens.

"Senpai, you gonna be okay?"

"Yu, hang in there."

"Yukiko, can you hand me a glass of water?"

He slides a hand into his pocket, feeling the shape of a card inside. He remembers red eyes and a metallic gleam and an inhuman song.

He remembers what that mysterious boy had told him.

_Orpheus._

He slides his fingers past the card, tracing the form of a key. He pressed his lips into a determined line.

It seems that a visit to Ao-san is in order.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation finally begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, not-free time! I have a headache. It does not help the writer's block that has decided to make the back of my neck its home. Like, seriously. Stiff neck sucks.
> 
> Unbetad. Disclaimers. All that jazz.
> 
> Drop me a line and kudos if you liked it!

Yu eyed the blue door in between the Metalworks and the Bookstore with some trepidation, clenching the key in his hand tightly.

He was certain he looked ridiculous, staring at what would seem to be an empty patch of wall, but thankfully, it was still very early in the morning. Few people were out and about.

He took a breath, slid the key in the lock, and opened the door.

"Welcome back."

Yu sat down at the table, careful not to disturb the cards laid out on its surface.

"I didn't know you dabble in fortune-telling, Ao-san."

"I don't," the other man says as he laid down a card. "Personally, I think it's a waste of time."

Yu takes a deep breath, resigning himself to a long visit.

"How can I be of service today?"

"Orpheus."

Ao-san stops, hand poised over the central card. The Fool. He sighs.

"You have him?"

Yu slid the card in his pocket over to him in response. Ao-san smiles.

"You knew he was mine?"

"The kid in the PJs told me."

Ao-san stares at him, before laughing. "Him?"

"…Did I say something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No…That bastard. He's still at it again?"

Yu felt very uncomfortable; watching the other laugh like this was unnerving.

"…Ao-san…" He ventures.

Eventually, his laughter died down and he looks up at him as he slid back his card. "His name is Pharos. In any case, may I see him?"

Yu calls Orpheus in a flash of light, the Persona staring down at the shorter man with its glowing red eyes. Ao-san reached a hand towards it, and gasps.

Orpheus snaps like white static, its form flickering under his fingers.

The younger man pulls his hand back as Orpheus disappears, staring at his palm. "…I see. I think I understand."

Yu opens his mouth to say something, when Ao-san looks up at him. "…What do you want to know?"

He startles, surprised by the determined look in his blue eyes.

Licking his lips, he summons the courage to ask his questions.

\---

"I wonder what happened yesterday," Chie mused as she chews on her straw. The Team had gathered at Junes,enjoying the hot day with frosty bottles of ramune and cold milkshakes. 

"It's so strange," Yukiko muses. "The sudden blackout, the change in scenery…"

"—And the coffins," Rise mentions with an exaggerated shudder. "Can we not forget the coffins?"

Naoto sighs. "Shadows that lingered outside of the TV. And the Persona that Senpai summoned. I've never seen that before."

Yosuke grumbled, frowning at the marble in his bottle. "Man, this sucks. This is all way over my head."

A heavy silence descended on the group.

Kanji grumbled, smacking his hands down on the table as he abruptly stood up, making every one jump and earning a few dirty looks from the other customers sitting near their tables. 

"Screw this! Sitting around on our asses isn't gonna solve anything. I say we get up and start investigating!"

"Dude, that's what we're doing right now," Yosuke sighs, scooting away from the puddle slowly creeping over to his side; Kanji's fists had jostled the table and sloshed his drink across the surface. "Besides, how do you plan on doing that? We don't even know where to start looking."

"Oh," He says, deflating slightly. "…I thought we were just going to jump over on the TV. I mean, the Shadows have to come from somewhere, right?"

The group was again silent as they all stared. Kanji flinched.

"What?"

"…That's not actually a bad idea," Chie says slowly. "Kanji's got a point; the Shadows do have to come from somewhere. The TV world is a good place to start."

"But it happened while we were outside the TV," Naoto mentions. "Also, that large Shadow we encountered was different from the ones we fought before."

"Who could say…" Yukiko sighs. "In any case, it's better than feeling around blindly in the dark."

"I think it's a good idea," Rise chirps. "After all, Teddie might know something if it was related to the TV."

Yosuke nods, getting up. "Then it's settled. We're going to the TV world."

"But Senpai's not here yet."

"Ugh, fine. But if he's not here in 30 minutes, we're going on without him."

\---

Yu failed to show up at the 30-minute mark. 

To make matters worse, Teddie denies noticing anything strange happening from the other side. Rise catches him up on current events as the team gathered in melancholy silence.

"Looks like we're back to square one, guys," Yosuke sighed deeply. "And I thought Kanji's idea was a good one."

"Hey!" The younger man growls. "You looking for a fight?"

"Still, this is troublesome. It would've been easier if we had something to go on. Such as, what exactly happened that night? There are too many questions and not enough answers."

"I know someone who has them."

They start, turning around.

Yu stood by the blue door at the corner of the Entrance Hall, holding it open. The light coming from the doorway was bright and blinding.

"Come in, guys. There's someone I want you to meet."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Investigation Team meet the Velvet Room's new proprietor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I'm such a busybody. Also, writing these guys is so much fun.
> 
> Also, thank you so much for the comments. It's nice to see that people love the weird stuff my brain spews out. 
> 
> Unbetad, disclaimers. The usual stuff.

"This…"

"This is…"

Food stalls and tables greeted the Team's eyes as the light eased away. Even Yu can hardly believe it. Where was the blue room he had been in but a few minutes ago?

"So this is Junes," Someone says mildly from somewhere. They all turn toward the sound.

The mysterious teenager from before sat on one of the long tables, reading a thick, hard bound tome. A pot of coffee and a cup sat by his elbow, the contents still steaming. Yu frowns, sighing an aggravated sigh.

"I'm sorry, Ao-san. Were you waiting long?" He says, and Yosuke raises an eyebrow at the dripping sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh no, I just arrived here before you did. Thanks for asking," He says pleasantly, closing the tome. "Please, everyone. Have a seat."

Yu sat beside the odd stranger, as the rest of the team squeezed themselves into the opposite bench. Teddie tries to sit beside Yukiko, and fails when his costume takes up too much space. He ends up sitting beside Yu instead.

"Guys, this is Ao-san. He is a resident of the Velvet Room."

"Greetings and salutations. Please treat me kindly."

The Team members exchange awkward greetings and introductions. Naoto's gaze curiously spans the food court.

"…Ao-san, is it? Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Oh no. Please go ahead, Shirogane-chan."

She cleared her throat at the honorific, nodding. "This is the Velvet Room, correct?"

He smiles, folding his hands on the table. "Yes and no. You are wondering why you are sitting in here instead of a blue room, correct?"

"…Yes, that is correct."

He nods, reaching for his cup of coffee. "The Velvet Room embodies the heart of those who enter its doors. This is the collective embodiment of your consciousness."

"Uh...Junes' food court?" Kanji mutters, baffled.

"Yes. You have fond memories of this place, correct?"

"Yeah…this was our base, after all," Yosuke says.

"Then it is the shape you have willed this space to take. Does that answer satisfy you, Shirogane-chan?"

"…Yes. Thank you for humouring me."

"Wait, hold on," Teddie says, eyes going wide. "If this is the Velvet Room, then where are Ms. Margaret and Mr. Igor?"

"As I said, this is and isn't the Velvet Room," Ao-san says patiently. "Think of this as Schrödinger's box, if you will."

"W-what…?" Teddie blinks. The rest of the Team sent him mixed looks.

Yu glares at him. Ao-san unhelpfully takes a long draught of coffee.

The light-haired young man takes a calming breath, and takes it upon himself to explain.

"…In 1935, an Austrian scientist proposed a thought experiment that goes like this: inside a sealed box, a cat was locked in with a flask of neurotoxin, a Geiger counter, and a radioactive seed. If the counter detects radiation, the flask is broken, and the cat dies. However, when someone opens the box, there can only be two outcomes—either the cat is dead, or the cat is alive. To have the cat be simultaneously alive and dead is impossible."

"No duh," Chie snorts. "To be both alive and dead at the same time is impossible unless you're a zombie, and I highly doubt that those things exist."

"I don't get it. What does have to do with this space?" Yukiko asks a thoughtful frown twisting her lips.

"…This thought experiment was used to postulate quantum mechanics. It has multiple interpretations, notably the multiverse interpretation," Naoto says after a length of time. "In other words, Ao-san is putting this room in parallels with it. What he is saying is that this space he calls the 'Velvet Room' is a pocket in between these worlds that exist in between these outcomes—like the branch before roads split. 

As senpai said, the cat can only be alive or dead. This space is the time before the box is opened and an outcome is chosen. In other words, the cat is alive and dead at the same time."

"…So what you're saying is, we are in a parallel universe?" Rise gasps.

"It's more complicated than that, but that's basically it."

Ao-san claps. "That was good deduction. Well done."

Kanji grumbles. "Okay, this is nice and all, but you lost me at the box."

Teddie agrees. "This is all bear-y confusing."

Yosuke jumps, angrily pointing a finger at the blue-haired boy. "Okay, that's it! Stop running us around in circles!"

"Hey, yeah! We came here to talk to you about the incident last night!"

Ao-san remains unfazed at the angry outbursts, draining his coffee cup. "Now, now. If everyone would just calm down and let me explain—"

"Why you—" Yosuke growls.

"Enough."

Everyone quiets. Even Yu feels intimidated by the sudden heaviness in the air. The even gaze Ao-san levels all of them only exacerbates the tension.

Eventually, Ao-san looks away, reaching for his pot of coffee to refill his cup. "What you all experienced that night is called the Dark Hour, an hour hidden between one day and the next. Here within this time period, those without the potential to awaken to the power of the Persona is changed into coffins in the process called Transmogrification. Whoever is not encased in the coffin and is able to experience the Dark Hour is attacked by Shadows."

"That makes sense," Kanji says with a nod. "That Shadow attacked Senpai, Naoto, and me."

"And Nanako was turned into a coffin during that time," Chie murmurs. "She couldn't summon a Persona, so she was Transmogrified."

"But why did the Dark Hour occur?" Naoto mused, eyes downcast. "There are still too many things left unanswered."

"Actually, the Dark Hour is a reoccurrence."

"Wait, what?" Yosuke exclaims, turning around. "This happened before?"

Ao-san nods. "There has been an earlier incidence very similar to this one."

"Well, spit it out, man! Tell us already!"

The blue-haired boy reached for his cup, only to have it taken away by Yu. The taller one stares evenly at him. "You really should quit the coffee. How you sleep at night is a mystery to me with the amount of caffeine you drink."

The glare sent his way could freeze boiling magma. "Perhaps I wish to be kept awake, Narukami-kun. Have you ever considered that?"

He makes no move to reclaim the cup despite his words.

"The Dark Hour first occurred in Tatsumi Port Island. Now get out; this place is unstable and the weight of supporting the whole lot of you is starting to give me a headache."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is not shaping up to be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, finally! Here's to hoping I pass.
> 
> Also, Pharos is a little shit in my opinion.
> 
> Unbetad, disclaimers. Meow.
> 
> *goes to die in a corner

"I don't see a reason why we should trust him."

Yu looks up wearily from his soft drink, condensation beading around the sides of its plastic cup and soaking into his hand. He sighs. "I know we shouldn't, but what choice do we have? He's probably the only one who knows what the hell is happening right now."

Chie grumbles from her seat across him, accidentally kneeing the underside of their table when she crosses her legs. The others scrambled hurriedly to save their drinks and their snacks from an untimely meeting with surfaces other than the containers they were in. Chie blanches under the dirty glare Yosuke sent her way.

"In any case, I don't see why we're still having this discussion," Yu calmly says, biting back the urge to sigh. "We have been arguing about this for the past three days."

All of them wince in remembrance of the manner their dubious new ally had all but booted them none-too-gently out of the Velvet Room with a smile and a strong reminder to not return without a specific item. 

Kanji groans. "I don't get why a guy who lives in what basically amounts to the literal centre of the universe would need a journal."

"It's not like we have a right to judge him," Yukiko chides. "We don't know much about him."

"Yukiko-senpai's right," Rise nods. "I don't think Ao-san's that bad. He just really likes blue, I guess. He was kinda nice when we kind of went a little rude with the questions." Yosuke sighs, shaking his head as he tossed back the last drops of his cold drink. "He's probably another weirdo with issues. Or something. He just happened to be a guy who lives in that weird room."

Yu tilts his head back and counts imaginary sheep. He then shakes his cup and mentally laments its loss. The heat had melted the ice and the fizz had gone flat. He drinks it anyway.

"Still, we can't alienate him no matter how odd he may be," Naoto says. "It's an unusual request, but it's not a problem to obtain it. Besides, he's our only source of information right now. That makes him important to solving this case."

"Yeah, but can't he just, I dunno, poof one up for himself?" 

Yosuke groans. "I mean, he's got that huge book with him, yeah?"

"Ao-san is a very strange person," Teddie quips from the end of the table. "Not only does he talk strange, he also smells strange, too."

Rise sent Teddie a mildly disgusted look. "Ew, Ted. Don't do that."

"But it's true!" He insists. "There's something odd about his scent. I can't describe it. It's like he's not even alive."

"So, like Long-nose and the others?"

"No, not even close."

Yu gets up, dusting his jeans down. The team looks up at him with confusion. "Where are you going?" Yukiko asks.

"To the bookstore. I should find something interesting for Ao-san. In the meantime, why don't you guys see what you can find about the incident he was talking about in Tatsumi Port Island? We should at least look into it; there's no harm in that."

\---

"You seem to have scared off the kids."

Ao-san looks up from his book, marking his page. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Pharos chuckles, his feet dangling from where he slid into the chair for the Room 'a guests. Ao-san watches him and thinks he looks strange with his tiny form dwarfed by the chair's back.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, stop," Pharos sighs. "That routine is old; pick another one already."

Ao-san reaches for his pot of coffee, pouring himself a cup. "This is a recent development. Get used to it. I'm tired of playing wall ornament."

The boy laughs, nodding. Ao-san takes a huge sip of his coffee and scalds his tongue, focusing on that in order to prevent him from hurling the cup straight into the curly-haired bastard's regrettably durable head.

"Still, though. You scared them off."

"How I do things is none of your business," He replies tartly. "I would rather shove them out than have their combined weight bring down the elevator."

"Oh, you," Pharos sighs. "Still preoccupied with appearances."

"Shall I point out how black you are right now?" Ao-san says as he sets his cup down on its saucer. "I'm not the one who wanted to act like a complete stalker."

"I was only furthering things along."

"By entering their dreams and being a complete creeper. Seriously, do you watch us masturbate too?"

Pharos bursts out laughing, crawling up on the table. Ao-san's tome falls off with a heavy thud as the tablecloth shifts, knocking the porcelain set over and sending coffee spilling over the table. The half-finished cup rolls dangerously to the edge, its contents soaking into the knees and sleeve cuffs of Pharos' striped pyjamas. 

The boy stares over to his companion with a triumphant gleam in his eyes and an innocent smile. Ao-san looked unimpressed.

"…If you honestly think you're getting a kiss after that, you need to get your head checked."

"But I've been a good boy. See? I'm advancing the plot," He whines, leaning forward with lips puckered only to get a palm to the face.

"You're going about this in a way that's designed to get us all killed. And then I'm going to have to come back and kill you because I'm going to be the one who cleans up your messes like always."

Ao-san doesn't pull his hand back when something wet traces his heart line. "Come on, where's your sense of adventure? I distinctly believe you're a badass." Pharos says, muffled against his skin. Ao-san sighs.

"…I'm not going to turn into a pedophile your own kinky amusement. Either face me like a man or get kicked out."

Pharos pulls the hand away from his lips, grinning even as his darkness shifts to cage Ao-san to the velvet couch. The other man does not protest when long limbs wrap around his shoulders, pulling him close enough that he could breathe in through the yellow scarf wrapped around a slender neck.

"Better?" Pharos asks.

The hands that pull him down for that kiss was the unspoken answer to his question, and he laughs.

\---

'Did you find anything?'

'No, nothing.'

'Not even from your end?'

'Hey, I'll have you know this is hard. It's not like media people are interested in a school.'

'Okay, guys. Let's get on topic here.'

Yu sighs, looking out his window. The late night conference call was driving him nuts. 

The fact that there was nothing good on sale at the bookstore doesn't help matters either.

'Yu-senpai? Are you still there?'

"…Yeah," He replied. "There's nothing unusual about the island, huh?"

'Thats not what we said—'

"Then that settles it. Pack your bags, we're going on a road trip."

Yu cuts the call and tosses the phone on the bed. He closes the curtains, turns of the light, and curls in his covers.

The steady vibrations of his phone were ignored until morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and the gang travel to Tatsumi Port Island where they start their investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet Marconi, why. It's been a road even trying to get this out, and rl isn't helping me either. At least I now know that I can still write.
> 
> This stuff ain't betad again, so please, please point out to me any mistakes! Comments also make me happy like you wouldn't believe.
> 
> Disclaimers, ahoy. Tread with caution.
> 
> *stalks off to try and write the other fics sitting around needing new chapters.

The train ride to Tatsumi Port Island was awkwardly tense.

Or perhaps it was just him, Yu thinks as he watched most of his teammates press their noses eagerly against the windows. There was something oddly charming about watching a group of teenagers act excited for a trip to a place they already had been before—even Kanji looked eager.

Yu shakes his head, flipping open his phone. He owes his team a lot of things, the least of which is a thank-you for putting up with his mood. He knows just how difficult it was to be around him these past few days, with him being a walking ball of nervous energy, snapping at anything and anyone who dares tread on those stretched-thin nerves.

Yes, Yu sighs to himself as he checks his phone's clock, he owes his team big time.

Teddie makes an interested sound as he looked out at the city unfolding below them. The waning morning sun painted the cityscape in beautiful oranges and pinks and purples, blanketing the skyline in a burst of colour. It was a beautiful sight, and even Yu had been unable to resist taking a shot of it. He does so with his phone camera, and the shutter goes off with a click sound. He takes a look at the photo and smiles.

He may have caught someone's reflection within the frame along with his own, but her fiery hair and eyes and wistful expression matched the spectacle outside well enough that he doesn't delete the photo. He nods, pocketing his phone in satisfaction.

The train slowed to a stop at Iwatodai station, and he takes a breath to calm himself. It was time to get started.

\---

The sad thing about following a vague lead is that you do not know where to start.

Yu sighs with an aggravated mutter under his breath. The day was spent generally mucking about the island, and the lack of verifiable information was enough to even send him slightly mad. The summer heat did nothing to help his mood any even though everyone has been bright and chipper and quick to cool any heated tempers with ice pops and cold drinks from a nearby vending machine.

At least he found the thing Ao-san sent him to fetch.

He turns the journal over in his hands, gently thumbing the crumbling spine. It smelt of old paper, book glue, and leather. He found it at a secondhand bookstore run by a sweet elderly couple at the strip mall by the station, and had been immediately drawn to it. Normally, such things like this never would've caught his interest; old things usually bored him, no matter what his scores in History would say about his preferences. 

Oddly enough, the journal was unused and the paper was strong despite its age. He decided to take it as a sign and bought it despite its price.

He puts the journal back in the paper bag the old lady wrapped it in, sighing to himself. He consoles himself with the thought that he at least is finished with Ao-san's unusual request.

Time to return to the hotel—or what passed as a hotel; Yu wasn't picky, although it was embarrassing—and actually get some work done. The night was coming, and he wanted to be ready.

Yu tightens a hand around his purchase and quickens his steps. The only thing good about that 'renovated' love hotel was that it had large TVs in the rooms. He's certain that it would come very handy this evening. He holds back the urge to laugh.

To think that they all travelled this far to watch a broadcast from a TV channel that only aired at a specific time. Yu snorts, and silently asked himself not for the first time if he was as sane as he believed he was.

\---

Yu and Yosuke sit on the bed, absently waiting for midnight. Yu in particular watched the minutes tick down on the garishly pink clock on the wall, the second hand moving with what he thinks is deliberate slowness.

"Hey, is that the thing for Ao-san?" Yosuke says, motioning to the paper bag looking so out of place on the bedside table. Yu only nods, focusing on each tick of the minute hand. His friend moves across the expanse of down and faux silk sheets to take it, raising his eyebrows at what is inside. "You're giving him this thing?"

"I think it suits him. Besides, I think it's exactly what he needs."

"I dunno," Yosuke says uncertainly. "It looks ready to fall apart."

Yu turns around to defend his choice, when the clock stops ticking. Both men tense as the light goes out and the TV turns on. They share a look and a nod, turning to watch the Midnight Channel.

What they saw was surprising.

A group of people stood in front of a familiar set of gates, as if waiting for something to happen. The view flickers and cuts, grainy like an old movie played over and over again to the point where the reel has been damaged with the constant replaying. Mouths moved to a silent conversation, voices warped and lagging with every scratch of static. Yu strains to catch snippets of the words, trying to decipher the movement of their lips. 

_Just wait a few minutes_ , one of them says. _It's almost midnight._

With a flicker of the screen, the building morphs. Yu is certain his face mirrors the shock shown on the face of they guy in the cap.

 _—Tartarus_ , the redhead mouths, _labyrinth…appears…Dark—r._ Whatever she says next was swallowed up in static and white noise before the TV flickers off. Yu and Yosuke share a look after a tense moment.

"…I'm going to go get Teddie and Kanji. You fetch the girls."

\---

The race towards Gekkōkan High was tense.

The eight of them ran as fast as they could, dodging Shadows and Transmogrified coffins alike as they ran through the winding streets. Yu's heart thudded in anticipation as they reached the gates.

Rise gasps at the sight of the tower looming above them.

"So, it is true. Tartarus," Naoto murmurs, checking her gun. Kanji nods dumbly beside her, seemingly unable to unglue his tongue from the roof of his mouth. Chie swallows in frightened nervousness as Yosuke clears his throat. "Looks like the weird guy in blue wasn't lying, after all," he murmurs. 

Yu nods, mind racing a hundred miles per second. Ao-san's information could indeed be trusted—the island does indeed have some connection to the Dark Hour. He steps up to the gates to test them. It easily slides open for him, and Teddie whines unhappily.

"Are we going in, Sensei?"

Yu looks at his friends; all of them wear similar expressions of determination through the underlying current of fear visible on their faces. The tension in the air is palpable, and Yu swears he could taste it like something thick and bitter at the back of his tongue.

He nods, turning around to face the tower rising up to the dark sky like a monolith reaching for the sickly green moon.

"It's time to commence our investigation," he says, taking the first step. The gate closes behind them as the Investigation Team follow him into its depths.

\---

Somewhere, two people share a couch tucked away in a room untouched by time. The man with a beauty mark under his left eye helps himself to a cup on a nearby table, sighing happily at the scent of coffee that mixes in with the other smells wafting about the room. His companion barely stirs as he takes a drink with a happy little sigh, and he puts the cup down to tug the blue coat a little higher up on pale bruised shoulders.

"They've come," he says, combing a hand through dark blue hair. "Just a little further, now…and you will finally be free."

He reaches over to take his cup again, his free hand sliding over a bare hip to smooth down a scarred leg. He smiles. "Just wait…Soon, you'll finally be free. And it will be sweet."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Pharos ver. 2.0. Yu doesn't like him one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, updates!
> 
> I haven't forgotten this story, no worries.
> 
> I found the original RP that spawned this idea on my phone, and I realised that the story derailed itself; Minato had a different name, Pharos is more content to sit on the sidelines, and they were all much older.
> 
> Now, Pharos is again threatening to derail my entire operation. Gdi, Ryoji. Stick to the script.
> 
> Usual spiel—unbetad, unchecked, disclaimers.

"Man, the only thing we need next is popcorn. Can't have a good movie without popcorn."

Ao-san warily regards the person all but hogging the other half of his sofa out of the corner of his eye, fighting the urge to squirm. Pharos has taken up the space with his limbs and his airy personality, practically crowding him to a corner. He sighed. The man has no concept of personal space whatsoever.

At least he's talking to him as an adult now. Pharos always did like creepy bullshit.

"Popcorn would make this much more bearable," He says mildly, and his companion snorts. "Still, it's hardly a movie, what we're watching."

The TV in front of them was one of those retro cathode tube types. All wood case and silvery knobs, it was the epitome of old school. It was big. It was vintage. It was also completely out of place in this damned elevator.

"Eh, semantics," Pharos says as he waves a hand dismissively. "Who's taking note? Still, couldn't you have brought up a flat screen? Who the hell still uses these old sets?" He complains over the rim of his cup, wincing as he takes a sip. "And your coffee could use a little bit of sugar. Or at the very least, some cream."

"Not my problem if you take your coffee like a woman," He shrugs as he leaned back. The announcer's lively voice drowns out the creak of the door opening, and Pharos' loud groan of annoyance drowns out both. Ao-san peers around the large set to meet startled grey eyes. He sighed, sitting up and sharply elbowed his companion in the ribs.

"Oi, sit up and be presentable. We have a guest."

\---

Yu wasn't sure what to expect when they entered the labyrinth.

Gears and cogs made up the entrance, perpetually turning and clicking as the clock on top of the door wound down. The mechanism had fascinated Naoto, but his mind was elsewhere.

A blue door stood beside a golden clock, with hands that ticked and twitched. On closer inspection it seemed broken. All three hands were on 12, and they were reluctant on moving. 

Yosuke had glanced over to him, and he nodded. Go explore, but don't go too far, the gesture says. His friend answers back with a nod of his own and he gathers the others together. Yu smiled, sliding the Velvet Room key into the lock as he held his little paper bag to his chest.

The smile fades as peers into the room.

There was a large TV in the room where the table used to be, taking up almost all of the floor space. It faced the couch opposite the guest's chair, and it blocked the other half of the elevator. Yu peers around it, and meets dark blue eyes. He swallows, tightening his hold on his bag somewhat.

"Oi, sit up and be presentable. We have a guest."

Yu watches warily as Ao-san's companion finally notices him, suddenly bolting up. "Oh hey! Didn't see you there!"

"You were staring at Mitsuru's ass. Of course you didn't see him, idiot."

"It's a perfectly squeezable ass; just because you don't have hormones anymore doesn't mean I don't," He snorts, adjusting his bright yellow scarf. Yu makes a face. The colour clashes with everything else in the room, and he immediately decides he dislikes it.

Ao-san sighs and the other boy yelps, pulling away to rub his arm. "Idiot. Can I help you with something, Narukami-san?"

Yu lifts the paper bag, and was about to hand it over when his eyes stray to the screen. He stops.

"That's…"

"The P-1 Grand Prix. Yes, yes it is," Ao-san hums as he leans back. His friend attempts to wrap an arm around his shoulders, and gets an elbow to the stomach for his trouble. "Quite fascinating, really."

Yu stares with fascinated horror as the fighters take their positions, and remembers the frantic energy that charged the atmosphere in the TV world as they searched and fought in the walls of the school. He remembers the others who came in after them—and remembers something odd about the conversation earlier.

"…You know Kirijo-san?" He asks warily.

Ao-san remains mild as milk as he nods, and Yu was struck with the sudden urge to see him get angry. "Yes," the blue-haired teen replies. "We know Mitsuru. We know all of them, actually."

The answer only sets Yu even more on edge.

He was about to open his mouth to make a scathing remark, but Ao-san's friend beats him to it. "It's been ages since we talked to them, hasn't it? Four years, was it?"

"More like five; I could care less," His blue-clad companion replies. "Time matters little here."

He shrugs and adjusts his suspenders. They snap back against his chest with a sharp crack. "Heh. The catsuit's a nice touch, I gotta admit. She fills it out better than she did that uniform. Ahh, Mitsuru-senpai, you're so hot."

Yu almost takes a step back when Ao-san fixes his friend with a flinty stare. Internally, he takes his wish back. An angry Ao-san is frightening to think about; if seeing him genuinely annoyed is scary, what stretch is it to imagine him truly mad?

Ao-san clears his throat before his mind starts to become too active. "Anyway, this is irrelevant. How can I help you, Narukami-san?"

Yu takes the opening, and hands him the little package. Ao-san's companion peers at it over his shoulder as the other boy removes it from the bag. The blue-clad man smiled. "I expected something a little more modern, coming from you."

"What can I say, I'm what they call a thoughtful gift-giver," Yu shrugs. "I thought it suited you, with how you carry yourself."

He chuckles lowly, gently thumbing through the blank pages. "Indeed. It is rather thoughtful. Thank you for the generous gift.

Now, then. How goes your investigation?"

Yu leans against the TV, telling them about what they found so far. Both boys on the couch listen to him, wearing matching thoughtful expressions on their faces. Eventually, it was the one in the scarf who breaks the silence. "So, you're already at the mouth of the lion's den, are you? Good progress, I'd say."

"True, but it's not fast enough," Ao-san cuts in with a worried expression. The other rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop. You know we can't rush this—"

"After the last time this happened, I am leery of it. I want it over soon; can't have it ending that way again."

He rolls his eyes, getting up. "Fine. What do you propose we do, darling?"

"Don't call me that," Ao-san snaps icily. "And no, I have no idea. If I had one, don't you think I wouldn't have done it by now?"

"Okay, okay. I say we all calm down," Yu says, standing up straighter. His eyes darted back and forth between them, and he frowns. "Arguing about it isn't going to help anyone."

Ao-san visibly relaxes, as his 'friend' sharply looks away. Yu sighs a quiet breath of relief. Another tense moment passes before someone spoke up.

"…Tartarus just may hold the answers you seek," Ao-san mentions with a carefully neutral expression. "I know you can't stay long in Port Island, so I will set up a portal for you to come and go as you please using this Room.

"The labyrinth is twisting; it never is the same path every day. Also, being in it for a prolonged amount of time is draining; take caution and tread carefully. You're not the only one hunting in those halls."

"Hunting?" Yu repeats in confusion. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Death lurks within Tartarus—literally," Ao-san says with a wry smile. "It's near-impossible to beat it back, so it's best to avoid staying on each floor for too long. Hiding from it is useless; it will always find you."

Yu swallows, nodding. "Investigate a changing maze-tower while avoiding running into the literal incarnation of death? Yeah, okay. Sure. Speaking from experience?"

The two other boys smiles wryly at each other; Yu tries his hardest not to get annoyed. Ao-san replies before he managed to voice out his displeasure. "Quite, actually. I wasn't the only one, though."

His yellow-scarfed companion nods, getting up. "Well, I guess movie night is officially over. I'll accompany you out, Yu-kun. Tartarus is dangerous to walk through on your own."

'Don't get too comfortable with me,' Yu thinks darkly as he watched him lean down to kiss Ao-san only to get a fist to the solar plexus for his trouble. He decides to walk out ahead, leaving the other scrambling to catch up.

 

The others couldn't have gone far, he thinks as he readies his sword. Finding them would be a cinch, and he wouldn't need to be led around by the hand like a five year-old.

This goes out the window the moment he gets lost on the second floor and needed rescue. 

Yu decides not to underestimate the younger man ever again; he may be scrawny, but the way he swung those heavy chains around like a whip made him think twice. He definitely didn't want to be on the other end of that anytime soon.

"Look, banchō," the other starts to say as he coils the chains back up again after a particularly nasty ambush by a red Shadow. "I'm not here to step on your toes or make you uncomfortable. I know you don't like me. But I think this is a good learning experience, don't you?

"I don't want to fight you. So let's be friends," He grinned, reaching out a hand. His palm was ice-cold when Yu reluctantly shook it.

"Call me Kuro, Banchō-dono," He grins brightly and with too much teeth, which makes Yu's fear instincts flare alarmingly. "I entrust myself in your care."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nights go on forever during the Dark Hour—the Investigation Team learns this the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a new chapter for Gems ready. I did.
> 
> Until Pharos struck. :(
> 
> Usual stuff, disclaimers, unbetad, not proofread.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Also, how many hits now? Last time I checked, I was still on three digits. So thank you!~~

Yosuke was terrified.

There were things he hadn't seen before chasing after them, things in masks and draped in shadows too dark to see.

What kind of monster is so terrifying that they need a mask and a cloak to hide themselves?

He really doesn't want to find out.

His strength was waning, Teddie's and Yukiko's healing spells doing barely anything to fight back the dreaded tiredness. The atmosphere in the tower was stifling, and he knows everyone can feel it in their bones—it was like a snake coiling around him, an invisible entity ready to strike, but taking its time to savour the moment when it finally ends all the torment and just squeezes the air and the soul from its prey's lungs.

Suddenly, all the Shadows disappear, and even Rise's connection falls away. There was no sound, no white noise to break the suffocating silence that closes in around them. Yosuke feels Chie back up against him, cold sweat seeping through her jacket and his shirt. It makes the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as he adjusts the grip on his knife.

Then, there was rustling. Teddie swallows hard. Yosuke strains to catch the faint sound. 

The sound was ominous, a harsh clinking, scraping, sound. Like something being dragged along the grimy tiled floor.

Almost like chains.

Yukiko's scream pierces the air as a dark figure came into view, and there was no face, no mask, just shadows and fear and despair and _Death death so much death destruction fall fall Fall_

Yosuke barely hears himself yell at them to run as a menacing blade scythes through the air. It was after them, and it wants their blood, and this is the face of the enemy behind the masks and the shadows, and there is no way they would win not like this.

Oh dear gods, where was the exit!?

Chie stumbles, and Yosuke bends down to pull her up— _come on get up get up **get up**_ —and the air behind him was sharp as he scrambles to push the both of them to their feet.

The tip of the Reaper's scythe barely misses piercing through his back by a hair's breadth.

This wasn't how he planned to die. How in the world did those people on the Midnight Channel even go through this!?

"Look out!"

A familiar blade blocks the Reaper's deadly weapon, and a shout of determination all but pushes the monster back. Yu turns to them with a crazed glint in his eyes, and Yosuke could almost feel himself sag with relief. 

The creature was still bearing down on them, however, and Yu barely notices it get up for another strike. Yosuke moves to shout out a warning—

—And a thick length of chain wraps around the monster's skeletal wrists, pulling it back. He glances behind the creature's tattered cloak and catches a glimpse of yellow.

"Yu! Get them out of here!" The person yells, as he struggles to hold the Reaper away from them. "Minato will guide you out! Just go!"

The taller boy nods, and Yosuke finds himself dragged along by the hand. He catches sight of Chie being dragged along with him, her own hand clasped around Yukiko's. 

The Reaper's terrible screech follows them all the way up the stairs, and the ominous rattling of chains fade away as they left the fourth floor.

On the fifth floor, it was quiet. Yosuke only notices that he had fallen to his knees in relief once he blinks and look at that, he was on the floor. At least the others were no better.

"Everyone alright?" Yu's calm voice breaks the silence, and everyone answers with some semblance of agreement. 

"Thanks for saving our bacon back there," Yosuke replies wearily. "We were nearly turned into carpaccio by whatever that was."

Yu nods, sheathing his sword. Rise's worried chatter was white noise compared to the loud beating of his pulse in his ears, and Yosuke could barely hold himself up.

Something lights up in his periphery, and he turns his head to see Yu standing over a strange device with an odd expression on his face.

"I think it's time to call it a night, guys. This is as far as we go today."

Yosuke follows along in a fugue, as if he was separated from his body. He notes being shoved through the device, landing at the entrance, being shoved out of the door, through the gates, and back to the love hotel with its garish colours and eerie otherworldliness.

The clock on the wall starts ticking again, and he watches the second hand tick down from 12.

1\. Yu absently props his sword against the wall, and strips out of his shirt.

2\. His vision goes fuzzy at the edges. Also, everything has gone sideways.

3\. It's not the world that had gone sideways, it's him. He's collapsed on the bed. The pillows are damned comfortable.

4\. Yu walks to the shower. The bathroom light goes on.

5\. The water turns on. He's very sleepy. He should probably go shower too, but he's too tired to even lift his head.

It takes 6, 7 ticks for him to wonder just how Yu and his odd friend found them. 8 and 9 make him think about the guy with the scarf and if he was okay against that freakishly strong monster. 10. 11. Who was Minato?

He never hears 12. He was already asleep.

\---

They clear the fifth floor the next night. Yu looked mildly agitated, and oddly unhappy with the outcome.

Yellow Scarf was nowhere in sight. Naoto silently prays that he made it out okay.

Ao-san was strangely zen about it, and Yu looked even more irritated with the other man; "Kuro-kun is a big boy, he can handle himself," was all he said about the matter and Yu's expression had hardened somewhat before leading them all out. 

Naoto wisely decided not to point out that the dark-haired man's hand was shaking slightly around his cup. Yu can be particularly stubborn and narrow-minded when he had latched on to an idea.

The rest of the floors were a little easier somewhat, and it sets Naoto more on edge. Good luck like this never stayed long.

The memory of that sharp edge and the sound of chains rattling just barely out of perception makes her teeth chatter and her knees weak, but she presses on with the others; there's no way they can turn back anyway, the only way is up.

Ao-san sends them to fetch things sometimes—pieces of Shadow, dropped objects, little trinkets. The most notable of these was a book about a pink crocodile, one that Kanji handed over with a bright red face. Yu only had eyes for the the way Ao-san's expression softens, fingers reverently tracing the art on the cover. 

Naoto pretends not to notice these things; it feels too private, for both her team leader and the strange man on the other side of the table.

There are times where they catch Ao-san asleep, bent over his table with his head pillowed over his arms. From what she could glimpse of his expression, he looked troubled even in rest. She wonders just what he had seen that there is no peace for him even in sleep.

Naoto doesn't comment on this too—poor guy must be really tired if he still goes out like a light with his coffee habit. Besides, he looks like a high schooler after a late-night bender instead of an omniscient master of time, space, and matter.

(And the other _is_ a master of matter—he can't fuse cards like Igor can, but he can fuse Personas into weapons. The gun in her hand felt stronger, after fusing Nata Taishi in it.)

Yu lingers a little longer during these rare moments, but leads them quietly to the portal on the other side. Naoto notices, as always.

The fighting never stops. There is only a new floor after the other, and there never seemed like there was an end. It was tiring. It was heartbreaking.

It was desperation, fear, and despair all rolled into one. It sits in their minds, bitter and rancid and festering. It was noticeable in the way the team's shoulders seem to sink more and more with each passing level in a way at had nothing to do with fatigue.

People are starting to get sick on the streets. They all see it. Apathy Syndrome is what the news channels call it: a sickness that renders the victim all but immobile and apathetic to the world. Yosuke calls them living zombies.

Ao-san calls them the Lost.

"They are people who have lost all will to live," he said once, stirring his coffee with a bit of milk. The white muddies the dark colour of his drink. "Those who have given up, who have allowed themselves to be taken by the sadness. There is no cure for that, even if the answer is found and the truth is uncovered. Hope can be regained, but only if the mind and the soul is willing to let it back in."

It is only after they clear the twentieth floor that Ao-san calls them back to his Room. "It's going to be a full moon at the end of the week," he says softly, a dreamy quality in his voice as if he was looking at something far away. Wherever it is, Naoto cannot see. "It's going to be a big one, so…be prepared."

Tartarus was closed to them in the days to follow, and boredom would've set in if they weren't too agitated to be bothered. Ao-san attempts to cheer them up somewhat, by playing card games with them for prizes—rare healing items and useful do-dads. Rise wins a pretty set of earphones off him; a custom pair from the looks of it—small, with crisp and clear sound quality, and with the additional bonus that if used with her Persona, allows her to hear things hidden further in the unknown corners of the darkness. It was a very handy item, and Ao-san has a wistful expression on his face whenever he sees her with them on.

When the time comes, they head off. Something kept blocking them at the entrance to the station, and Naoto can feel the palpable annoyance hanging over Yu like a thundercloud. If only the door to Ao-san's room wasn't locked…

"Something's coming."

Rise wasn't wrong when she said that. Oh God, was she not wrong.

It was a huge Shadow, nearly eclipsing the building itself. The sick yellow moonlight shines off its mask. Naoto steadies her gun, and Orpheus comes to life beside her with an unholy wail—

A sliver of yellow walks between them. Naoto could only stare as their new friend uncoils his length of chain from around his wrist to pool on the ground. Yu mouths a name, but he doesn't hear it. 

The moon is reflected in his eyes, rendering them all but opaque. Cataracts for the damned, like the apathy dulling the Lost's eyes. He lifts a hand to his head, a finger pressed against his temple. An imaginary gun pressed against his head. 

"Persona."

He pulls the trigger, and chaos descends.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confusion reigns as visitors come to our protagonists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay chapter! Thanks to hyrulehalfbreed for help in this chapter!
> 
> Again, Unbetad and all the good stuff. SMT & Persona isn't mine, either.

It was something out of a nightmare.

Kuro's Persona all but rips itself out of him, and the summoner's shrieks of agony mingle with its wails. The team clap their hands to their ears.

Yu finds he cannot tear his eyes away.

He remembers biochemistry; thinks about mitosis and meiosis, the divide of cells. It seemed apt—Kuro gives birth to his Persona by seemingly cleaving himself in two. It was extremely unsettling.

The persona he birthed was even more gruesome than expected.

Orpheus resonates with it, like the echoes driving through the thin membrane of a speaker. It sounds like death, like its name.

How ironic, for someone wearing something so bright to handle the judge of the Dead.

All they can do was watch as the Persona rips the large Shadow apart with its hands. Kuro wails to the heavens as Thanatos (was that its name how does he know its name) devours the scraps it leaves behind.

Just like that, it was over. Silence reigns.

Kuro collapses onto his knees, and the chains uncoil around his feet as he passes out cold. Thanatos crumbles like glass, howls dying in the wind as the Dark Hour ends.

Yu finds himself spurred into action as the clock starts to tick.   
\---

Soft, but precise steps echoed across the soft blue carpet of the Velvet Room, the dim light glowing warmly on the new visitor as a slight form stepped closer. Yellow orbs glowed softly, warmth and mischief swirling in the unnatural gaze of the former attendant. Her voice was high and twinkling as she called out of the form on the couch, "Pardon the intrusion, I just thought I would stop by as the grand finale is now on its way."

Elizabeth smiled as she closed the distance between them, gloved hands reaching out to cup the blue haired boy's face only for her fingers to slide through him, "Ah, I was too hopeful it would seem. Still, our plan is coming about nicely. You'll finally be free and back into the world you once saved. 

"These new persona users, they're an interesting bunch, no?"

She sighed as he only continues to stare at her with those unreadable eyes. Rigor mortis; the grimace of death—the way the muscles seize and stiffen after the body has died. Sometimes, she thinks that she sees it in his face every time they meet.

She turns around to leave, feeling wholly unsatisfied…

That she nearly misses the only words he had spoken to her in a long while:

"Even a prison can be a fortress, if one wills it to be.

"And I want it to be."  
\---

"How is he?"

Teddie's smile crumples, and the entire group sighs. Yu looked pensive.

It has been three days since Kuro collapsed after the battle during the full moon.

"It's strange. I wonder why he hasn't woken up yet," Naoto mutters to herself. "Theoretically, the TV world should help him recover. It's obvious that he isn't human."

It was the Team's unanimous decision to bring Kuro to the TV world instead of the hospital; Teddie himself had said that the other smelled of darkness and of the things that fester in the shadows. Human medicine won't be able to help him, though they couldn't help but try to remedy it as much as they could.

Yu was thankful he once worked in a hospital—it made asking questions from the staff seem less incriminating. 

"Well, we've done the best we could," Yukiko murmurs worriedly. "The best course of action we could have now is wait."

"But it sucks waiting," Yosuke grumbles. "I wish there was something we could do. He's saved our skin twice already."

Silence descended on their little spot in Junes' food court. It was true that they had won, but it didn't feel like a victory.

"…Let's go see him," Yu says. "It's pointless to just sit here and do nothing."

He got up, sliding a hand into his pocket. The edge of a card brushes his fingers, and the memory of the flicker of flames warm his skin.

There has to be a reason why he received Orpheus. He needs to gain answers soon—too many questions are appearing, and time is slipping away fast.

Another visit to Ao-san is in order.  
\---

The transition through the TV was as just as he remembered. Yu fights the nausea back and slides on his glasses with a sigh once e was back on his feet.

Teddie toddles off towards where they had lain Kuro down; Yosuke had unearthed an old futon from somewhere, and was quick to volunteer it for use.

Yu finds himself freezing in place once they approach the corner where they set Kuro down.

The other boy's body looked skeletal and static from the distance he stood in, and he blinks to clear it. The sight doesn't fade. He lifts his glasses up to rub at his eyes. His vision instantly clears.

I'm dreaming, he thought darkly.

Kuro seemed fine. His breathing was slow and steady, and he seemed no closer to waking than he did three days ago. Yu refuses to lean closer—the boy's face looked oddly familiar from his angle. In his mind's eye, he kept replacing that thick mop of black with a lighter shade. He mentally berates himself for the thought.

He looked over his shoulder. The door to the Velvet Room was open.

Ignoring the others, he sets out to enter the room.

He stands at the threshold, and freezes for the second time.

This wasn't the Velvet Room.

The familiar hum of the elevator was gone, replaced by the expanse of dark, tiled floor and shadows as thick and ominous as smog. It stretches far beyond what he could see. Yu hesitates.

Should he go in further?

His hand briefly tightens against the door handle, and he walks ahead. The lock catches behind him with a click.

Yu felt through the dark, feeling it constrict around him. The atmosphere was constricting, as if crushing him like an iron lung—positive pressure forcing his own body to breathe more of the noxious air. His mind clouded over, molasses poisoning his thoughts syrupy-sweet as his ears slowly lose the ability to hear. 

Then a silver silhouette in the distance. He moves as fast as his lagging feet could drag him.

It was the guest chair in Ao-san's room, the other's blue jacket draped over the back. He trails his hand along the shape of it. The fabric felt ribbed, twilled cotton rough against his fingertips. It contrasted with the smooth, polished silver of that lyre-shaped chair.

Real. It was real. Yu felt like he could breathe again.

He looks up as the darkness started to recede. A huge golden doorway stood closed in front of him. He felt tempted to walk up to it, touch it. Was it as real as the chair, or was he hallucinating?

He takes a few steps forward, eyes taking in the length of barbs running up its length. Was the door sealed? What for? Was it to keep something in or keep something out? He reaches out to it.

"There are locks for a reason, you know."

Yu startles, whipping around. His glasses slid down his nose in his haste.

Ao-san stood there, elbow-length gloves held limply in his hands. He had an odd expression on his face, one that Yu can't really name. They stared at each other, silence and tension as thick as a brick wall between them.

Ao-san breaks it first, looking away to slide on one of his gloves. Yu absently notes the silvery scars on his bare arms that the fabric cannot quite hide.

"…Can I help you, Narukami-kun?" He says, and his voice sounds terse. The taller man finds himself tensing in anticipation of a fight.

There was a reason why he came, but he cannot remember now.

"…No," he says instead, sliding his glasses off his face. "You can't help me at all."  
\---

"Are you sure it's here?"

_'That's where the readings came from, yes.'_

"But this place is lame. Too quiet. Are you sure it's here, senpai?"

_'The data doesn't lie, Iori. Now do your job.'_

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. No need to yell."

Coal eyes open as the line went dead. He clenches his hand.

"…Looks like we have company."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu agonises over cooking and his odd relationship with the man in blue. A new challenger comes to Inaba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG. I can't express how infinitely sorry I am for how long this took me to write up. RL has been kicking me so hard, with 12-hour shifts, crap internet, and wonky stuff.
> 
> Now, I gots me new mobile WiFi. Not as good as I expected, but better than nothing. :)
> 
> Thank you, thank you to everyone who stuck this long. I hope this next chapter suffices as apology for the extremely long wait.

"He's here again."

Yu looks up from where he was bent over his cookbook—how in the world was takoyaki made without octopus? He's still baffled at the requests Ao-san makes sometimes—to catch Kanji dropping in at their usual table in Junes with an angry huff. He marks his page and inwardly sighs as he sets it aside. "Is this about that guy again?"

Yu actually does sigh when the younger boy vehemently nods. He silently wishes for a stiff drink—propriety, personal vows, and what his uncle would think be damned to the fiery pits of hell—and pastes on what Yosuke had once jokingly called his 'camp counsellor face': 5-watt smile, open expression, aura of 'lay-it-all-on-me-I'm-ready-to-listen'.

Kanji takes this as a sign to continue, and he does so with a gruff tone. "He's been hanging 'round the shopping district a lot lately, but I haven't seen him buy a single thing once. Guy ain't no damn tourist, that's for sure."

Yu wonders about substitutions, and mentally files the thought away for later. Perhaps he should try chicken first; they say that most things taste like chicken, after all. Or is that where madness lies?

"Seen him prowling about town, too. Heard him asking about anything strange happening. People usually just give him a wide berth, but it's odd enough."

He sifts through his vegetarian options, wondering if crab sticks are a viable choice before reaching for his bubble tea. He takes a long sip, and sighs. "Listen, Kanji. It's obvious that he's trying to investigate something. But we can't know what that is unless we talk to him."

"I say we just pound it out of him," The younger boy mutters, cracking his fingers. "I can take him, no problem."

Heaven help him with teenagers with murder on the brain, Yu thinks darkly as he leans forward on his elbows. "Unless you want to end up in jail, Kanji, I strongly suggest you keep your head down. I don't think it's a coincidence that he's here just a few weeks after that large Shadow appeared."

His eyebrows shot up. "Ya think he knows something about the Shadows?"

The older blonde nods. "Most likely. If he's here to investigate the Dark Hour, he could be an ally or an enemy. I'd rather we got a feel for him before we confront him."

Kanji grumbles but holds his tongue; he knows better than to protest. Yu nods, satisfied for the moment before taking another sip of his drink.

Maybe he should try tofu. If he's going to experiment, he might as well go as crazy as possible.

\---

"Hmm, it doesn't taste right."

Yu holds in the urge to toss his hands up in the air and surrender—he wasn't going to fail at this, damnit—and patiently smiles at his cousin. "I'm sorry, Nanako-chan. I'm just trying to see if I could make takoyaki without any octopus."

She raised an eyebrow, placing her chopsticks down. "That sounds really weird, Big Bro. Takoyaki without octopus is just…Yaki. It makes no sense."

He sighed, leaning down on the counter with a deflated air. "I know! It's just—someone dared me to try making them, and now I think I'm obsessed."

She patted his arm sympathetically, smiling up at him. "Cheer up. They're still good."

"But they're not takoyaki without octopus."

"I know. Maybe whatever your friend is asking for involves not making takoyaki. Maybe it's something else."

He finds himself blinking into his cousin's eyes in baffled amazement. His face breaks out into a grin and he kisses her cheek.

"Have I ever told you that you're a genius?"

Nanako blushes, startled but pleased. "I'm glad to be of help, Big Bro."

\---

Yu splits the Team up to patrol the town during the Dark Hour. That particular evening, he keeps Kanji with him, but he remains broody and silent throughout their rounds. If Kanji notices, he doesn't comment.

His thoughts were on his earlier visit to Ao-san's room.

_The other male looks pleased if a little surprised to see him, and he eagerly sets his tome aside. Yu can tell he was very excited, and he looked forward to each visit._

_He can't help but be a little sad on his behalf; it must be lonely on his own, without the vibrant presence of Kuro-san to liven up the room._

_"Ah. Welcome back. How can I be of service?"_

_Yu shrugs, gesturing to the box in his hands, and Ao-san visibly sits up straighter in interest. "Is that—?"_

_He sets the box down in front of him, and the brunet eagerly opens it up. The scent of food wafts up from the box, and his visible eye widens. "Ah!"_

_(The blonde tries not to look smug as he settles down in the seat across him. That last batch was particularly difficult to make, and he has every right to be proud of himself.)_

"Hey, senpai. Look who it is."

Yu's eyes flicker up to catch sight of a very familiar figure disappearing down an alley. He and Kanji exchange glances.

What was the stranger doing out here during the Dark Hour?

_He watched as the other boy eagerly skewers one of the pieces, inspecting the doughy ball smothered in bonito flakes and succulent-looking sauce. Ao-san makes a considering sound as he bit into it and chewed ever so slowly._

_Yu holds himself back from asking just how it tastes, tamping down the disappointment as Ao-san finished the morsel with a considering gleam in his eyes. The blue-eyed attendant puts the skewer down on the box lid, and it feels like a gavel dropping down and passing judgment._

_"…It's good," Ao-san says, sounding rather hesitant. Yu could practically see the 'but' coming his way._

_"But," He says, and ah, there it is, "…It just doesn't taste the same."_

_Yu tries not to deflate at his words._

_"It's still good, though," He murmurs, reaching for another. "…Is that…crab stick?"_

_"Well, excuse me ," Yu says defensively. "It was very hard making these without any actual octopus. Did you know that my cousin thought I'd gone mad when I was experimenting with these?"_

_Ao-san smiles, his expression softening as he bit into another. He moans softly as he chewed and Yu is torn between bristling or crossing his legs tightly. "Now you're just trying to get a rise out of me," He mutters instead._

_"I say. Is it working?"_

_He decides it was wiser to hold his tongue instead of commenting. Ao-san laughs._

They trail the odd visitor a good ways back, watching him wander around. He inspects the Transmogrified coffins, the general atmosphere, the scattered Shadows that were too scared to approach.

Yu holds out his hand and ducks behind a post as the stranger stops, seemingly satisfied with what he saw. Kanji hunkers down behind him as the odd stranger pulls out a phone and dials a number.

Yu wishes he had Himiko's range at that moment; whatever conversation that man is having was too soft for them to hear at that distance.

_"Anyway," Ao-san says around a mouthful of that weird takoyaki he requested, "You seem troubled. What's the matter?"_

_"This odd man came to us about a week ago," He says, watching Ao-san eat. "He generally circles town asking about any strange occurrences."_

_"Ah, an invader," the other hums. He spears another takoyaki, considering its shape. "You think he has something to do with the Dark Hour."_

_Yu nods, and Ao-san sinks his teeth into the ball. "Mm. And what was his name?"_

The stranger concludes his phone call, sighing deeply as he puts it away. He tilts his head, considering something before pulling out a wicked-looking claymore from the sheath he carried.

"Come out. I know you've been following me."

_"Iori Junpei. I think that was his name."_

Kanji and Yu exchange brief glances, before Yu jerks his head back towards the direction they came. Kanji goes without a word, and he gets up from his hiding place with his hands up.

Junpei only raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, and he shoulders the broadsword with a grin. "Well, well! Look who it is. Dojima-san's kid, right?"

Yu doesn't reply, not even to correct the assumption. The older man sighs heavily. "Not one of those talkative types, eh? Figures."

_Ao-san looked rather surprised, his half-eaten takoyaki held up halfway to his mouth. "…Junpei, you say?"_

_"Yeah," Yu affirms, trying to read whatever was going on in his companion's head. "You know the guy?"_

_"After a fashion," he answers hesitantly, putting down his skewer. "You say he's in Inaba?"_

_Yu nods, and Ao-san sighs. "Ah. Figures."_

"So, kid," He says cheerfully, but Yu wasn't fooled; there was a definite edge to that smile that was a clear warning. He didn't trust it one bit. "Care to actually give me answers, or are we doing this Western-style?"

"Depends," He answers back as easily as he could. "What exactly do you want to know?"

Junpei waved a hand, looking around magnanimously. Yu doesn't take his eyes away from him. "Yeah, um, this stuff? Care to share just exactly what's happening?"

Yu shifts his feet, a hand sliding down to his hip—placing his own sword within easy reach. "Yeah…sure. But I think you know more about this than me."

"Yeah? What gave that away?"

"Let's just call it a hunch."

That damnable smirk returns, and oh, does Yu itch to just wipe it off his face in the most violent manner possible. "So, does this mean I'm not getting any answers out of you, then?"

Yu predictably doesn't reply.

_Ao-san fiddles with his gloves—a habit Yu noted that only appears when he is rather bothered with something. He patiently waits for him to say something._

_It takes about ten minutes before the shorter man opened his mouth._

_"Iori Junpei. What a sudden turn of events," He says almost serenely, but Yu doesn't buy it; the other man is clearly nervous and displeased about this unknown factor. "To think he would come here. Perhaps he is investigating the Dark Hour in Inaba."_

_"Why would he do that? "_

_"A hunch," He says, and that was the end of that discussion._

Junpei nods, mind made up. The claymore slides down from his shoulder as he lowers his hand. Yu immediately tenses and thumbs the hilt of his own sword.

"Western-style it is, then?"

Yu barely gets a chance to reply as he is suddenly charged. That grin looked absolutely bloodthirsty up close.

He readies his sword to parry the blow—

_Yu feels rather awkward as he left Ao-san's room and its now-subdued occupant behind. It was rather like watching a very intimate moment; Ao-san's face had shuttered, expression betraying everything and nothing going on in his mind._

_Even through the closed door and the eons of space and time between them, he could make out Ao-san's laughter. It was a light sound, and it made something flutter in the pit of his stomach. He ignored it, however; there was a much more pressing issue at hand._

A flash of yellow comes between them, and his sword gets knocked to the side. A fist covered in chains blocks Junpei's sword from making contact. The other man's eyes widen, and his expression doesn't change even as the newcomer kicks him in the stomach, effectively separating him from them.

Yu lurches forward as Kuro drops to his knees, coughing up ichor. He pays no attention as his opponent shakily got to his feet, his focus trained on the other brunet.

Junpei opened his mouth, sounding small and shocked and so very frightened.

"…Ryoji?"

_Yu closes his eyes and tries to ignore it. Whatever it is, it wasn't his problem, he tries to convince himself as he walks away._

_He fails._

_Underneath that bright laughter was the unmistakable sound of tears._


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junpei realises the world hates him, and Ao-san and Kuro-san reveal some of their cards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No smut this chapter, sorry dear person who wanted it. It's in the next one, I promise.
> 
> And now, my train has truly run itself off the tracks. Gdi, boys. Will it kill you to stick to the fucking script!?
> 
> Also, extra long chapter to say sorry for unintended hiatus? *hides*

Iori Junpei decides that he really, really hates his life.

From childhood to adulthood (or as close as he can get to it, in Yuka-tan's frigid opinion), he had always been the sucker. Sure, his time in SEES made him see that he's pretty mature when he needs to be, company notwithstanding, but he has gone through so many pratfalls in his short, pathetic life, that he could claim the spot as the group mascot and resident clown.

(It possibly says more of himself that the _damn dog_ , bless Kuromaru and his tiny doggy heart, has more sense in a paw than he ever had in his entire body. Conversely, it doesn't bode well for him.)

So, it is quite understandable that he was sure that Someone Up There had it out for him from the very beginning. That That Guy had been waiting in the wings to hand him the the Jester cue card, and go on, son, you couldn't possibly screw this up, in fact, ad-lib as much as you want. More authentic that way.

Then he remembers that _Minato owns Messiah_ and goddamnit, _Mochizuki fucking Ryoji_ is coughing up what looks to be the liquefied remains of a smoker's lung onto the bloodied pavement right in front of him, when last he saw him, it was two, three years ago and he was a hulking Shadow of truly massive proportions and Thanatos (which Minato also owns, shit)—

(Somewhere, a dark-haired man in a blue coat promptly inhales his coffee and doubles over himself in a fit of coughs to clear the wrong pipe.)

Junpei is certain someone really hates him.

Because it hits him, like a train-crash in full slow motion. That Ryoji was standing there with chains wrapped around his fists and he was on his knees trying not to cough up his insides and this damned kid was touching him casually when he remembers that they killed him they all did—

It's Mochizuki Ryoji and he hadn't changed one bit.

"…Ryoji?"

Oh fuck, he just nearly shish-kebabed his friend with the business end of his sword and goddamnit, he wished that was an innuendo but it wasn't.

He drops the sword. He hesitantly approaches.

The grey kid glares at him. "Stay back," he growls.

Junpei's hackles visibly rise. The Evoker in his side felt heavy and taunting. He reaches for it.

"…M'okay," Ryoji croaks, and a hand pats the fingers clenched into his shoulders weakly. "It's okay, Banchō."

"Kuro-san—"

"It's _fine_ ," he insists, and okay, Junpei wants to hit him instead, but for very different reasons. Because he remembers when it was _Minato_ who did that, brushing them off when he was clearly not fine, and of course Ryoji isn't so different.

Fuck him. He's got the worst luck this side of the Cosmos.

"…Okay," He says snappishly, and two pairs of eyes look up at him. "I don't know what the fuck is goin' on, but I desperately want to. So, here's what we'll do," He pushes on, ignoring the protest he could see in Narukami's eyes. "Tall Drink of Water over there is gonna carry you, all princess-like, and then we are all gonna head back to a safe zone where all of us are gonna talk. Okay?"

Narukami's hand visibly twitches around the handle of his katana. Ryoji's hand tightens around his wrist. Junpei notes that the brunet looked mostly resigned.

After a beat, Ryoji nods.

"…C'mon, Prince Charming," he says tiredly, batting at the taller boy's pale cheek. "I have some explaining to do."

\---

Between the two of them, Ryoji is so light that Narukami leans over to carry him all the way himself.

Ryoji doesn't have the heart to protest, only hanging limply from his arms as he was carted away.

Junpei on the other hand, wants to; he got stuck with carrying his chains. They weigh a _fuckton_. How Ryoji could manage it with his twig self and not break in half is beyond him.

He had followed them through town, met up with the other brats (Lord, that made him sound like an old man, it wasn't funny), _broke into Junes with a key from the loud kid with the cans—_

He knew extra hours in the day and broken clocks and people turning into coffins, but he just can't wrap his head around the notion of jumping into a TV and getting to the other end more or less intact.

It was creepy. And ending up on the other side was even creepier. What the hell even, world?

Ryoji was promptly bundled into a corner, wrapped with blankets and given cans of soda filched from some vending machine. The cough seemed to have died down at least, and he breathed easier.

Junpei also noticed he couldn't meet his eyes.

"I can explain," He starts after polishing off a can of Starvicks in a fashion that made Minato's slow, methodical drinking while he was sick look less like a glacier and more of a free-flowing river. Ryoji looked very uncomfortable still, contemplating his empty can like it held the secrets of the universe. Junpei was mildly surprised he didn't start to fidget. "…First, let me start with the phrase 'death is subjective'. It is basically the end point of all this, and we'll get around to it later on.

"He and I, after a while of co-existence, we became one person in a sense," He eventually says. "For those of you uninitiated, I am a Shadow. Or at least I was, until a Shadow-suppression Weapon sealed me into the body of a newly-orphaned child."

"You're a Shadow?" The bear says with a gasp, and Junpei remembers that the mascot is a Shadow as well. Ryoji only smiled tiredly. "Yes. I was a Numbered Shadow, like the ones that appear during the Full Moon. Hence the name 'Mochizuki'. I was XIII."

"Kuro-san," and it was the tiny detective talking now—a Shirogane something, if Junpei remembers correctly. "You mean to say that you lived as a human before?"

"In a way. I shared a human host, unlike Teddie who was given a corporeal body," He says slowly in reply. "I learned how to be human from him, but it does not make me human."

"We still saw you die," Junpei bites almost accusingly, and everyone jumped, save for Ryoji and Tall-Drink-of-Water lounging at the far side of the corner they've all converged in. "We even had a hand in _killing_ you."

Tall-Drink narrows his eyes at him, and Junpei pretends not to notice. Ryoji just sighs and slumps into his blanket. He looked very tired.

"Shadows are not things you can kill, Junpei," He says wearily. "You could dispel it perhaps, but not destroy it. Shadows happen in the face of light, after all."

"What you mean is that there needs something to cast it," The tall boy snorts, and Junpei could feel the apprehension in his gut slightly tense-unravel as Ryoji chuckled briefly. He nods. "Of course. It isn't a shadow if no one makes it."

Ryoji reminds Junpei of the person who had cast Ryoji, and his heart twists; only one other person had that look in his eyes.

That person had also been dead for roughly two and a half years.

"So to quote you, yes, you killed me, but I wasn't gone forever. Not after what happened to him."

Junpei's eyes widened. "You mean—"

He nods. "Yes, Junpei. He's still alive."

\---

As worried as Yu was for Kuro-san— _Ryoji_ , his traitorous mid supplies—he had been worried more about someone else during the entire conversation. Someone conspicuously absent. Someone they all know.

No one seemed to notice as he snuck away from the little gathering. Kuro-san would be fine; the others would look after him in his stead, and the other guy doesn't look like he'd hurt him.

Even if he did kill him once.

Ao-san was nursing a cup of coffee when he entered the Velvet Room. He was hunched over his table, looking tired and withdrawn. He looked just like Kuro-Ryoji had a moment ago.

Yu notes his bedraggled state. There were dark circles under his eyes, and the blue of them had dulled to a slate sheen. He looked fairly rumpled though not a hair was out of place or were his clothes wrinkled. He looked old, older than his projected age of 17.

"How did it go," Ao-san asks tiredly. It didn't sound like much of a question to Yu's ears. 

"…He knew you," was what he replied. Ao-san nods. "Yes. He knew me. Knew us. We were friends."

Yu moves to take his customary seat across the table. He ends up hovering there, a hand clenching on the back of the chair. "Explain."

"I was a part of a paranormal group of hunters," Ao-san explains readily, taking small, slow drinks of his coffee. "We used to call ourselves S.E.E.S."

"Sees," Yu repeats, eyes never leaving the haggard figure across the table.

"Special Extracurricular Execution Squad," He elaborates. "We specialise in hunting and exterminating Shadows. I was their field leader."

"And Ryoji?" He asks, and there was a barely-imperceptible twitch in Ao-san's shoulders. "…He was," the brunet starts. "…He was…"

"…He was your Shadow," Yu says slowly in realisation, and Ao-san laughs bitterly into his cup. "So you knew."

"He said as much," He replies defensively. "I didn't stick around to hear the rest."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I'd rather hear it from you."

Ao-san's lashes flutter as he closes his eyes with a sigh. He sounded so _done_. "…I was a child when it happened," He starts. "A robot was hunting something, and she…"

"She sealed him in you, that much he said," Yu prompts. "And the rest?"

"What do you want me to say, Yu-kun?" Ao-san sighs deeply. "That I grew up ten years alone, flitting from foster home to foster home after knowing about this? About the extra hour in the day and that the world turns into some Silent Hill shit that tries to kill you at every turn? That I was the only one in my family that survived the car crash that made me meet Aigis and Ryoji? That people would rely on me to save their sorry asses that _clearly_ don't want to be saved? I am done being stepped on by people who refuse to open their eyes to the world, to the _goddamn_ truth.

"I refuse to be a sacrifice to a world that is so unwilling to save itself."

Yu stares at him, stunned. There was nothing but tense silence in the space of a few minutes.

"…I'm sorry," Was the first thing he says after a beat or two. "I'm really sorry."

"No," Ao-san sighs tiredly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled, I—"

"You had every right to," Yu says with conviction. "You should've. Is that how you really feel? That no one appreciates what you did?"

Ao-san ducks his head, unable to meet grey eyes. Yu presses on. "I know you didn't do it for merit. No one in their right mind does. But it is natural, normal even, for you to want your sacrifice to mean something, for it not to go to waste. That's human. _You're_ human."

"It feels too long since I've acted like one," He sighs, contemplating his cup. The grounds that have escaped the filter had settled in a dark, soggy mess in the bottom. "I am not the man I was, Yu.

"I am not Arisato Minato, not anymore."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Understandings are a little difficult to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should update Gems, but the muses wanted smut.
> 
> And ofc, the smut is vague.
> 
> Sue me

Yu remembers when he still lived on Tatsumi Port Island.

His existence was grey; a slow, living crawl through a repetitive life. Squeeze through the daily commute through the trains, force himself through tedious classes, remain as dishevelled as he could possibly get. First two buttons open, undershirt untucked because that is the only thing his meticulousness could let him get away with. Ace exams even if he barely paid attention, fail them on purpose. It didn't matter.

Get into fights. He was better with a weapon than with his fists, and he had taken to carrying a club with him wherever he went.

Even boys from all the way up to _high school_ had called him Gin Banchō. He had a reputation amongst yankī and wannabe gangs. He was also quite painfully in middle school.

No one believed him to be the silent ruler of what seemed to be a good quarter of Iwatodai. And it's good PR; who in their right mind would connect sweet, silent Narukami Yu with the imposing, silent Silver Captain of Iwatodai's delinquent gangs?

Then he moved away from the city as he was wont to, and he had been duly unimpressed with Inaba. Unimpressed with everything, as he had been in the city. Up to the dreams of that irritating man with the long nose.

And then they found Mayumi-san hung up on the pole.

Back to the present. Yu remembers Arisato Minato. He remembers a young man, a junior in Gekkōkan High though he has never met him. A brilliant young man, the rumours said, skilled in kendo and studies. Bright as a pin, silent but strong. Student council member. A good friend.

Minato Arisato died on the rooftop of his school on the day of his graduation, a mere year after he transferred.

"I am not Minato Arisato. Not anymore."

Yu's heart breaks. He had looked up to this young man, though he had never met him once before he died. Tatsumi Port was a small city, small enough that near everyone knew everyone, much like in Inaba. 

"Explain," was the first thing he says after a long heartbeat.

Ao-san— _Minato_ smiles, wry and small and self-bitter. "I died, simple as that," He says softly. "Hard not to when the body has no soul to fill it. I was—the lock on the door. Still am."

The Door. Yu remembers a great golden door when he put on his glasses in the Velvet Room. And the scars that Ao-san so desperately hides behind his coat and his gloves.

"…I remember," He replies. Locks were made for a reason, he remembers him saying then. "What are you keeping in?"

"It is more of me keeping something out. Darkness and despair are two things that should never meet."

Yu watches him, thinking of the chains Ryoji wields. "You volunteered," he breathes in awe.

"Kind of. No one else could've done so." Ao-Minato says wryly. "I accepted long ago that I would die. That was one way of making sure I put my last breath to good use."

And yet, here he is, still working and fretting and worrying. Yu watches the figure his friend cut in this blue room. "…You're here because it's started again. You said this happened the first time before, and this—"

No wonder Minato couldn't rest; all his hard work, his sacrifice, was slowly being unraveled by the very people he tried to save.

Humanity is cruel, Yu thinks.

The older boy—and now Yu knows he is, though his face says otherwise—doesn't say anything when he approached to kneel by his couch, silent and always watching as Yu reaches out to slide off his coat. He says nothing as the lighter man took his hand, unlacing the glove and pulling it away from his arm. Yu's eyes see nothing else but the silvery lines on his skin. He breathes.

"…I was a gang leader once," He confesses, one secret traded for another. "I disliked everyone, how they kept flocking to me. One of them was a sufferer of Apathy Syndrome. I couldn't stand his gaze.

"I pushed him onto the monorail tracks. No one knew it was me."

Minato's eyes held no judgment in them, and Yu just knew he would never judge his demons. "I have been sick for a long time," He says. "I still was, until I came to Inaba. I never did say thank you."

"Thank me?" The brunet asks. "I have—"

"Done so much. It must've been painful to go through this alone. I don't blame you for being so tired."

The hand in his clenches. Yu coaxes it open with the gentle strokes of a thumb.

Minato's eyes never left him as he leans down to kiss his palm.

"I remember you," Minato says. "I have never met you, but I know you. Boys twice your age feared you, and high schoolers were in awe of you."

"Me too," Yu replies. "Your reputation certainly exceeded you."

There was silence between them. The older boy chuckled. "Look at us. This is funny, what we have."

Yu would've laughed if he could; two dead men, talking to each other about their lives. "If it helps you any, I'm not that Yu anymore either." It had been so hard to care when the world had no care to give, and then he had friends, not acquaintances and he finds himself suddenly caring very much. It was exhausting.

By God, it had only been two years. How could Minato have gone through it for so long without failing?

Minato smiles wearily, and he realises he must have projected it well on his face. The hand lifts to cup his cheek. A calloused thumb brushes against his jaw, and something in Yu sighs.

He couldn't help it; he automatically leaned up to kiss him.

Minato didn't seem too surprised. He only reaches around him, wrapping thin arms around his neck and, oh. The heat of his mouth was exquisite. Yu moans softly against his tongue.

Suddenly, he finds himself pressing close against the other. It wasn't love, he says to himself. The kiss was something he couldn't put a name to, something hot and burning between them. Minato's legs have wrapped around his middle, and his hold was reluctant to let go. Yu resigns himself to being kissed within an inch of his life.

And what a way to go, wrapped around a friend who you're starting to think of as something more.

It was Minato's hands which started pulling at things, like the gakuran he wore. His shirt joined in the pile shortly, his belt sliding out of the belt loops. He pulls back with a gasp. This was happening way too fast.

Or perhaps not fast enough, if the expression on Minato's face was any indication. The hands grabbing at him were proof of his impatience.

"Come on," The brunet growls. "Yu—"

"Talk to me," He says, pulling back as best he can. "I need to understand why."

"What for?" The other groans as he leans back against the couch. "Isn't this enough?"

"The Dark Hour, the Shadows—"

"I need you," He murmurs, plaintive and quiet. Yu doesn't dare to breathe. "Understand that."

And Yu does understand. He understands the need to bury oneself in sin to forget the failures in life. He buried himself in his studies and his gangs to hide, after all.

"…Hiding won't do anything," He says slowly. "You won't hide from me. Or Kuro."

Minato deflates, pulling back. He looked small as he closed his eyes. "…You're right. I'm sorry. You deserve better."

"…I am scared," He says after a while, and Yu leans in to kiss an eyelid. "I'm scared of the future, of what I see while I'm in here. I trapped myself, made a wall between Death and the world at large, and I'm a fool. I am such a fool."

"Isn't it that fools go where angels fear to tread?" Yu soothes, leaning to kiss the corner of that down turned mouth; Minato tries to follow with the turn of his head. "You're brave for trying, for succeeding. You should be loved for it."

"Flatterer," He sighs against the kisses. "And loquacious."

"What can I say, I'm a man inspired," he chuckles, pressing his lips against the fluttering pulse on his temple. 

"And that would make me a Muse?" Minato asks wryly.

"Perhaps Terpsichore. You've always been quite good at dancing around the issue."

Minato laughs, and Yu goes willingly as the older boy pulls him close. He doesn't resist when legs wrapped around his waist, and he doesn't fight when arms held him so close they were chest to chest. Yu takes a breath as Minato exhales shakily, air warm and pained between them. They kept sharing kisses, hands never stopping at one place, an all-devouring ember of heat slowly kindled between them. It felt like a stolen moment, and Yu doesn't want it to stop.

Somehow along the way, shirts get discarded, scarred limbs sliding against each other in exploring caresses. Yu cannot help but marvel how pale the other was against him, milk-white against the golden tan of his own skin. He brings his mouth down to rectify that, cherry-red blossoms trailing the heat of his kisses. Minato moans and pulls him closer.

"Please," The shorter man begs, and Yu feels the fire in his veins pool over to feed his hunger. He growls.

There was pants and underwear between them until there wasn't, fully skin on skin and lust and burning kisses and searing touches. Yu yields to the call of Minato's openness, legs wrapping around waists and thighs and sweat-slicked palms sliding over beating chests. Minato presses his lips against the steady flutter-flutter of Yu's heart and he gasps as fingers tease him open.

"Hurry up," He means to say, but it comes out as an incoherent garble.

The prep doesn't last long, impatience tugging at both men to come apart for needed air as they slid into place. Fingers bruise at warm hips and Minato throws his head back with a sigh as he slowly settled down into Yu's lap. He makes a pleased sound when teeth sank into his shoulder, and he holds Yu close as he dared.

There were very little words after that.

\---

The streets were deserted when Yu walked back home.

There was approximately fifteen texts and eight missed calls on his phone from his team, and he couldn't be bothered to reply. He ignores them sitting in his inbox, hands in his pocket as he trudged back to the Dojima residence.

He steals through the house like a thief, footsteps silent and stealthy. The water in the kitchen tap drips in pitter-patter drops in the sink, and he ignores the urge to twist it a little tighter to quietly creep up te stairs.

He reaches his bedroom. The door closes behind him without a sound. He tenses.

Someone was in here.

Dark eyes watch his movements, as a narrow chin rests upon bony knees.

"Kuro-san," Yu says. "Or is it Ryoji?"

"Either one is fine," The brunet hums, uncurling from his hunch on Yu's bed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's fine," He says, hyper aware of the way his sheets wrapped about Kuro's hips and legs. "Why are you here?"

He flinches, trying not to rear back like a cornered animal when smooth fingers tugs his collar aside. Kuro says nothing, eyes tracing the black-blue bruise on the side of his neck with a gentle thumb.

There was nothing to say after a while.

"…I'm glad," Kuro whispers, pulling back. "I'm glad you decided to listen to him." 

Yu averts his eyes, suddenly guilty.

The fingers trace his cheek, down his jaw and Kuro leans in. Yu held his breath.

Kuro tastes different from Minato. Minato tastes of secrets and coffee and of the ocean breeze; Kuro tastes of old blood, of the burn of sake, beer, absinthe, and the night. Yu breaks the kiss off first.

"…Ryoji—"

"It's alright. I'm happy you found us," Kuro smiles against his mouth. Yu watches him curl up on the couch, small as a kitten and as silent as one. He sighs, shaking his head as he wraps him in an extra blanket from the bottom of his closet.

It's pointless to think about it, he muses as he leans down to kiss the top of that dark head. This wasn't love, that much he knows.

Somehow, he knows that it isn't exactly the truth.


	15. Interlude: A Time that Didn't Happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ao-san asks to go out. Yu indulges him.
> 
> ~~It clearly doesn't happen, but what if it had?~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! This feels so lacklustre but I had to post it. RL is getting in the way of well, life. Work leaves me no time other than to eat, bathe, sleep, wake up, eat, bathe, work, repeat. Sigh.
> 
> It's not the most ideal way to live. 
> 
> Cookies to whoever spots the reference in the end!

"I'd like to go outside."

Yu looks up from his musings, started out of his thoughts. Ao-san smiled at him from around another mouthful of takoyaki (perfect, he had declared them. Yu thanks the forethought to soak the tofu in dashi before oven-drying them into a sort of rusk) and sets his skewer down. Yu watches his satisfied expression and smiles.

"Take me outside," The dark-haired boy says. "I want to go outside."

Something there doesn't seem right, but Yu doesn't protest. "Alright. Is this Sunday good?"

Ao-san smiles benignly at him, nodding. "Sunday is perfect."

And so, they leave the Velvet Room on a Sunday. Yu self-consciously smoothes down the front of his simple T-shirt, and Ao-san walks beside him in his customary blue peacoat.

Yu tries his best not to look back behind him—the Velvet Room door moves soundlessly, as if something stopped it from closing all the way through.

Ao-san eagerly looks around, though his expression barely changes. He was endlessly fascinated by even the most mundane of things, from the murmur of the water in the flood plain to the way the cats in the neighbourhood sniff warily at him. Yu tours him as best as he can, and they end up doing everything and nothing at all.

It fascinates Yu.

Ao-san has this voracious appetite, for many things other than food. Sure, he does eat (and he generously pays for the both of them, which Yu's wallet appreciates—he suspects Ao-san has a bottomless pit for a stomach), but this extends to other things. Yu shows him old books and walks him to the fox's shrine and talks to him about history, heritage, and school. Ao-san was knowledgeable in many subjects, and it is refreshing to have someone who keeps up with him in conversation. Yu also finds his humour interesting; Ao-san's dry wit tempered with sarcasm was mildly refreshing.

Surprise colours their interactions, too; Yu takes Ao-san to Junes once to try out the arcade there. Not only was Ao-san enjoying the games, he was comfortable there—to the extent that he kept spitting curses in _French_ of all things when they try out a few of the fighting games.

(Ao-san was particularly interested in the game cabinet that had an old version of Guilty Gear. Yu makes it a point to keep playing as Ky whenever the other man picks Sol just to revel in the annoyed glint in his eyes and the mutterings in French and English every time he beats him. Apparently, his blue-haired companion has a strong competitive streak.)

In between excursions where nothing and everything happens, Yu realises that maybe, just maybe, he was surely falling in love with this dull, cool, unaffectionate boy. And maybe, if the knowing glint in Ao-san's eye is to be trusted, he is the same. 

Yu silently vows to bring Kuro-san next time, if only the roiling feeling in his gut that tells him something is wrong, wrong, wrong will go away.

 

_"Papa-chan, that's such a nice way of falling in love."_

_"I agree. I'm glad it turned out that way."_

_"Could that never have happened though?"_

_"Oh, most definitely. There's a time where he picked out an ingredient that tasted wrong or that I never asked him to take me outside. It's also possible that there was no time for that at all."_

_"…I like this story better, Papa-chan. Don't you?"_

_Minato carefully does not reply._


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things pick up from here, and Naoto finds a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late post.
> 
> I am stuck in job limbo (aka I have a job, but only if they call me). It means that I'm stuck in the dorm, waiting for a call and wondering if I should pick up part time, which could dick me over because they might call when I have a shift.
> 
> I'm losing money, and I have only worked five days this past two weeks. Help.
> 
> Carry on, now. My rant is over. :)

Chapter 15

She wakes up to a symphony of motion.

The vibrations of the seat under her, the gentle sway of a vehicle propelled forward, the flicker of the light of the sunset in the distance. It shines in her eyes through the windows.

"I love trains," says one other person beside her. The voice sounded wistful. She turns her head to look.

There was a girl beside her. She knelt on the hard plastic bench, eagerly looking out of the window like a child fascinated with the scenery. 

The glare made it impossible to keep her gaze on the other. So she squints. It's enough to know the other girl has brown hair bright enough to be the colour of burnished copper.

"…They say the joy of a trip isn't in reaching the destination, but the journey," She says softly, tracing the shape of the sunset with her fingers. Gold glints in her hair. She turns around, but the only thing visible about her is her smile. Even that is enough to blind.

"So, Naoto-chan," she laughs. "When we get to the end, will you get off at the terminal or just keep on going until the cars derail?"  
\---

The page for Orpheus has a tear on one corner.

Minato frowns, setting down his cup. He gently flicks at the end with his fingers, trying to see whether he had made the rip or not.

Orpheus' eyes glint back at him from the page. Minato squints at it; perhaps a trick of light…?

He closes the book, suddenly feeling so very uneasy. He looks up; his room feels so claustrophobic.

Something was definitely wrong this time. If only he could figure out what.

\---

Yu sets down a box on Kuro's desk. The darker boy doesn't move from where he had settled in the bed. Yu sighs.

The room Kuro had set up for himself in the TV World was bare and grey. It seemed like a memoir to a particularly un-personable student; he could state everything clockwise from the door: standard washbasin, nondescript closet, secondhand desk. A bed with a checked quilt, empty shelves. No posters on the wall, no colour to the room. It's as if for all intents and purposes there was no occupant, and the dorm was newly-set up for fresh tenants.

Yu knows how it all went. Rooms in this world are built up with their inhabitants in mind. He doesn't like to think what it means exactly, that Kuro has a room so basic as this one.

 _Tabula rasa,_ Minato had once told him on one of his prior visits before he met the dark-haired boy settled in the sheets. _A state of emptiness, of readiness. Zero. To start over._

Yu doesn't particularly care for descriptions or definitions; he thinks they're boring. Labels are boring. 

He is struggling to define just what it is that's between him and them.

The three of them—Ao-san, Kuro-san, and him—had once sat down together. Talked about their stories over coffee like fucking rational adults. There was cake in there somewhere. He bought it on a whim.

"The Dark Hour is a state of suspended animation," Ao-san says as he stirs his coffee. He took it black nowadays, which confuses Yu why he still needed a spoon in his cup. "When all the Shadows are defeated, Erebus appears."

"Erebus," Yu repeats, hands curling around his own cup. He hasn't drunk a drop of it, fingers tensed around the porcelain. Some part of him wonders if he could crush the delicately fine china if he squeezed hard enough.

"Erebus," Kuro-san confirms. His cup sits untouched in front of him, with his hands folded on the table. He's still pale and weak, but this was one of his better days—the time in the TV World has clearly done him some good. "It's a being that is made of the despair of the world, the desire for the End brought to life. If it reaches through the Gate, we're all doomed."

Ao-san's spoon scrapes at the bottom of his cup. He winced. "Not if I could help it," He mutters. 

That was all they could talk about regarding the topic.

Yu shakes himself; now isn't the time to be distracted. He clears his throat. "Kuro," He says, cursing that his voice sounded soft. "I brought food."

There was no movement under the blanket. He sighed.

"We're going to talk to Iori-san," he tries again. "We were wondering if you want to come along."

Again there was no answer. Yu sighs a little deeper. "…Well, just…we'll be in Junes if you decide to join us." He hesitates. He walks closer. He leans over to kiss the dark hair that peeks out from under the blanket. It smells faintly of coffee and off-brand shampoo.

"Try and eat, okay?" He says gently as he straightens back up. "I want you to get better soon."

The door closed behind him without a sound.

\---

For all his bluster, Junpei was good at prolonging the moment.

He wandered about town, mildly fascinated by the very rural homeliness of the small town; it seemed everyone indeed knew everyone in here.

He was pretty certain a certain blue-haired boy would hate it on principle.

Still, he mused, it has been years since that guy had been up here. Who knows what he thought about it now. Has anything changed about him? Is he still nursing that black hole he calls a stomach? Does he even need to eat anymore? There are so many questions!

Junpei stops at a corner to rub a palm over his face. He knew fairly well that he's going to end up dicking himself over with his big mouth if he doesn't stop thinking.

His friend was alive. That's all that matters to him right now.

He nods, walking back to the direction of Junes. He's promised the kids they'll talk. Exchange information. Form battle tactics. He stops to look up at the sky.

When he puts it like that, it sounds really pretentious. Has he perhaps gotten more cynical in his older age?

Junpei resumes walking. His last thought is about what her thoughts about all this is. She's most likely the reason why they're all here, after all.

\---

In hindsight, the entire thing felt like holding court with a bunch of children more than anything else.

The table in the corner of Junes was crowded, more so with the addition of another body. Junpei wants to sigh at it all; this was why they had offices for this sort of thing.

Thank all the gods in his intrepid field leader's arsenal that Yu was good at crowd control. He'd never be able to start his story otherwise.

"Okay," The man sighs for the nth time since they all sat down to talk. "Cliff notes version: there were experiments with the paranormal, it all became like Biohazard shit, except the T-Virus is the infectious cousin of depression hopped up on steroids. There are people who are immune to the virus, but only a few have the power to fight against it."

"Persona," Shirogane-kun mutters from across the table. He nods. "Yeah. Even among us, there are special snowflakes. Special snowflakes able to call on multiple Persona at any given time."

"Wild cards," He thinks he hears Yu murmur beside him, and he pats his shoulder with a nod. "Yeah. That. Think _____ called it that too."

Yu and Naoto give him a strange look. Junpei held up his hands. "Hey, don't look at me. I can't explain it myself."

"Well, what you've told us so far is nothing new," Yosuke says with a wave of his hand. "We've known this since the first time ____ talked to us."

Now Yu and Naoto stared at their friend. Odd. Junpei files it away for later. "Well, it's not like I know much about this stuff myself; I'm just the muscle. My job here is to gather information about the Dark Hour coming to Inaba."

"If only Kuro was here," Chie laments. "He's probably the only one who knows what to do."

They all grow quiet for a while. Then Junpei shrugs. "Well…it would help if my team came down here to help investigate. They're much smarter than I am."

The teens all shared looks among themselves. Yukiko hums thoughtfully. "It sounds reasonable enough. I think we should do it."

Naoto mutters that she needs a drink and gets up. Yu gets up to follow her, saying the same. Junpei watched with suspicion as they walk away.


	17. Interlude: REM Introspect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even dreams have dreams, don't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, sorry. I should be updating GEMS, but I'm not feeling very positive right now.
> 
> This isn't an actual chapter—still halfway on that one.
> 
> More as real life develops.

Perhaps I have been going about this the wrong way.

Sanity is insanity, even in its dying throes—but how can one truly tell?

Life is a mask, isn't it? A different face for every occasion. People simply become adept at using them all at an appropriate place, an appropriate time.

Perhaps I've simply never learned it myself. Or I have no desire to learn it—I have ingrained in my head that I care very little, after all. Perhaps…that's for me. I care very little about myself.

One would suppose it's true—and ah. I'm talking about myself in third person again. Insanity truly boggles the brain, but am I truly insane? Or sanely insane? Sane in excess? Is there a word for it, the way your thoughts coalesce into a hundred thousand million things and all at once, they're telling you that they hate you?

Ah, but who cares. They have decided to give me space. Space isn't what I need—I need action, reaction. I am lost in my head in the quiet.

They say I do not process emotions well. Perhaps they are right. I hurt, but it's a low simmer. Comparable to a heartburn. Perhaps a wrong choice of word? Anger is a simmer—there is no point in allowing it to climb. I know how hot I burn.

Ah. Maybe that's what they're trying to say? Everything is on percolate, kept well below the surface. I never cared for dramatics; I'm too old for temper tantrums.

Or maybe…they aren't tantrums?

Emotions are hard.

Perhaps I'm not meant to interact with people.

Paste on a smile, keep the rot deep within, and move on. If it hurts, slap on a bandage and keep on smiling. It confuses them, keeps them thinking. If you're angry, smile. Dogs show their teeth when angry, so can you. If you're happy, smile. Laughter is overrated. Hyenas laugh to keep quarry away. You're not an animal; you're a friendly, normal person.

…I don't feel normal. Am I?

Here. Change in point of view. You are not stuck in the present, you don't see the future, and you don't care for the past. You're nowhere. 

You're fine with that.

In a way, it's easier. You don't have to care. Caring is exhausting. Looking for love is exhausting. Finding that little bit inside you to love is exhausting.

Perhaps you're not meant for people. Electronics, perhaps? No, you don't like fiddling much. And now you're thinking in second person.

You don't like yourself, you think.

Maybe you should quit while you're ahead. But you don't want to disappoint people. People care for you, even if you don't care for them. Caring is a chemical reaction; a trick of the brain. You don't want to disappoint them.

You shouldn't disappoint them.

You disappoint yourself. Why are you trying?

Perhaps that is your greatest failing—you can connect, but you don't follow through. You can give advice, but only if you try to extricate yourself from the picture. You don't feel like you belong.

Who are you talking to? Who do you see? What is the point of this exercise? A reminder that you need to learn quickly how to be an actual functioning human being? A warning that you are on your last leg? A log? A note? A cry for help?

It seems rather pointless. You're the only person who will know of this anyway.

People may care for you, but you don't care for yourself. What's the point of asking for help.

But you do want to fit in.

So deep breath. Smile. Try to at least pretend that you grew a heart overnight. Perhaps talk about it with a friend. Or to someone else. You're running out of time.

It's sad—running around in place like a dog chasing it's tail. You're a fool and an idiot. You're bogging yourself down.

Does it help you sleep at night, knowing the voices that scream at you are your own?

You don't care, do you.

Well, start caring.

Cry, for gods sake.

That was a weakness, admitting that.

You probably deserve it. 

You're wasting time.

You have no friends because you never decided they are. They are simply people for your amusement—little pawns for you to watch and make fun of. Inside you're laughing at them. You're above it all.

You don't care. It doesn't hurt. It never really has.

The bullies never cared; you cared even less. You just keep crying for your mother because it's expected of you. You like being alone. Maybe that's a warning.

Stay away, you want to say. But you know you can't, so you play nice. It makes you sick.

You hate playing nice. You often say you'd rather kill them. Maybe you would if you had more courage. Or motive.

How frightening. You can never do that.

But it's nice to dream. Nice to dream that they all are scared of you, not for you. But maybe you don't want that either? Humans are most unpredictable when they are frightened. 

Are you scared? Maybe. You've never bothered to check.

Perhaps now's the time to. 

And so you turn to self-sacrifice. Do you think it'll undo the mistakes you've done? You think it'll undo every last unkind thought, cruel word, unclean thing that crossed your mind? Your lips? But you don't speak about that, don't you? You simply wanted it gone.

You want to be alone in your head, but you've been there once. It wasn't pretty.

You want simple things: friends, emotions. Things that won't make you feel empty. Strange how you cannot find it in a sea of strangers.

Now, he—third person, notice; he's getting farther away from himself now—isn't perfect. He is trapped inside his mind, a perfect little storm of nonexistent (existing, but turbulent and so very calm) emotions (they're not real they're real and they roll beneath the stone skin of his soul clawing for a way out. 

There is no way out. The seal must be airtight.)

He exists and he doesn't and there was _something else_ taking his place someone else someone old new everything nothing

The omega. His end. His beginning.

It doesn't matter. He is still here, trapped by himself. It's not a selfless sacrifice if the person martyred did it for the very selfish reason of—

Quiet. Quiet underneath. It sounds like death. It's all he really wanted. Quiet is freedom. Quiet is singular. It does not expect, does not wish anything. 

It does not want him to hurt or maim everything he's held dear. It would be so easy to give in; to sink hands in to the elbows and come out with crimson, ichor, dark shadows clinging to the crevices of his skin.

It scares him; that side of him that wants to tear the world in two like the wings off a butterfly's back.

Let's go back—second person. You put yourself back in the box. The emotions are taped back up again. You paste on a smile.

The mirror cracks.

No more dreams of idyllic walks along deserted streets. No more stairs towards the top of a never ending tower of pain. No more chasing after a shadow cast too long and too far, a wraith between my fingers.

The moon is still, full and bloated with the nightmares of every soul that sleeps. 

Childhood is over. It's time to wake up.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos & comments are much appreciated!


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